And the Void Stares Back
by DragonGirl323
Summary: Feeling left behind is a foreign sensation to Lightning Farron. After spending seven years in crystal stasis, she awakens to find a vastly different world than the one she remembers and is left hanging from the proverbial thread as she starts the grueling process of adapting not only to her surroundings, but a much older Hope.
1. Prologue: Where Silence Has Lease

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own nor claim to own any aspect of Final Fantasy XIII, XIII-2 or LR: XIII. All the aspects therein belong to the rightful owners, Square Enix. I am making no profit off of this. The only thing I am claiming is the story idea. This will be the only disclaimer posted. Please refer to this chapter in the future.

**Author's Note:**

I would like to announce that today (1/17/2013) is my 9 year anniversary on FFNet! I'm so happy to still be here writing!

Anyways, this story has been in the works now for over two years, so getting the chance to finally post it for everyone to see is extremely nerve wracking. That being said, I have a very special individual in mind that I would like to shower with love and thanks. She's put up with my craziness and helped me more than I can fathom over these past two years. And on more than just this fic, might I add! She's the best most amazingly brilliant beta any writer could ask for and her pen name is **H-thar**. She's hands down the best Lightning/Hope author I've encountered and I feel privileged to have her help.

I hope everyone enjoys my newest story and, if you feel so inclined, I would appreciate it if you would leave me a few kind words to let me know what you thought of it. Updates will be every two weeks. I have 6 full chapters waiting in the wings so hopefully that will give me enough time to complete more. Thank you in advance to anyone that reads and reviews. Your support inspires me.

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And the Void Stares Back  
By: Jenna Duffy

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Prologue

Where Silence Has Lease

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"_When you look long into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you."_

_- Friedrich Nietzsche_

_. . ._

"So what does this mean?" Hope murmured, glancing sideways at Serah.

The youngest Farron sister shook her head, unshed tears glistening in her cerulean eyes. "I don't know," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Hope clamped his teeth down on the inside of his cheek as he looked back into Lightning's crystallized eyes, willing them to suddenly spring to life. He couldn't understand how she could still be in crystal stasis when the rest of them, including her younger sister and Dajh, had woken up.

_This wasn't supposed to happen,_ Hope thought with dismay.

He swallowed the lump that had settled in his throat and replayed the recent events in his head. They had successfully defeated Orphan, that much he knew. Then Vanille and Fang had transformed into Ragnarok, a sight that he almost couldn't believe was real even though he'd seen the beast with his own two eyes. Now Cocoon was crystallized and suspended in the sky by an immense crystal pillar. He didn't know what that meant either.

_Are we going to be able to go home?_ he wondered, yanking his eyes away from Lightning's face long enough to set his sights on Cocoon, the immense structure shining and glinting in the bright Pulse sunlight like a prism.

The frustration Hope felt, without warning, suddenly flared when he looked back at Lightning. His anger burned white-hot in the pit of his stomach and bubbled in the back of his throat before erupting past his lips in a violent outburst. "I don't understand!" Hope yelled, startling everyone around him. "I heard Vanille's voice in my head! We all did! Why isn't she awake like the rest of us? What are we supposed to do?"

"Hey!" Snow bellowed, effectively shutting Hope up and grabbing his attention. He wrapped his large hand around the young boy's slim shoulder and his face softened as he looked into Hope's conflicted emerald eyes. He knew about Hope's feelings towards his soon to be sister-in-law; in all honesty, it hadn't been that difficult to figure out. The boy was notorious for wearing his heart on his sleeve. "We're all confused right now, but losing our cool isn't going to help. You think Lightning would want us to fall apart like this?"

Hope's despairing gaze went back to Lightning's crystallized, unseeing face and he sighed, his shoulders visibly slumping. Snow was right. Lightning wouldn't want him acting like this. She would hate it actually. The only question left in Hope's mind was one he knew no one had the answer for.

"When is she going to wake up?"

His question hung in the air, stagnant, between them. No one dared to try and give him a sugar coated answer. Hope knew he was young, but he was far from naïve. His experiences as a l'Cie had matured him, made him stronger. He had fought alongside them as equals and he didn't want them to treat him like a child anymore. With the things he'd seen and had to endure, he deserved more than that. Serah was the first one to step forward after a long, pregnant silence.

"Hope," she whispered, laying her hand gingerly on his opposite shoulder. "There's no way to tell how long she'll be in stasis. The only thing we can do right now is be patient and wait." The younger Farron sister moved away from Hope and tucked herself into Snow's side. She covered her mouth with her hand to help contain her sobs as the tears that she had been holding back earlier finally spilled from her eyes.

Sazh's tiny chocobo chick appeared in front of Hope's face then, warbling happily as he floated in the air. The cheerful animal was totally unaware of the sadness around him. Hope allowed himself to smile at the tiny creature and cupped his hands beneath the bird to give him something to perch on. Hope suddenly wished that he could be so blissfully unaware. He didn't want to have to think about when Lightning would wake up or how long she would be asleep. He wished she was awake _now_. He had promised himself that when all this l'Cie nonsense was over and done with that he would tell Lightning about his feelings for her.

_Who knows when I'll get the chance now__…_ Hope thought with disdain. He felt the blood drain from his face when the possibility that she may not wake up for hundreds of years bulldozed through his mind. To never hear her voice again was something that he didn't even want to think about.

Snow's voice brought Hope's mind back to the present, but he wasn't exactly paying attention to what the large martial artist was saying; it was something along the lines of helping the military. He just continued to stare at the chocobo chick in his hands, wishing that Light was here to celebrate their freedom with them.

"Hope!" The voice that floated through the air just then made Hope's ears prick. The young silver haired boy frowned as he wondered where he had heard that voice before. It was so familiar he felt that he should be able to recognize it immediately. The fact that he couldn't frustrated him and his eyebrows pinched together as he racked his brain, trying to figure out who that voice belonged to.

When the familiar voice shouted again, a name finally registered and he gasped as his entire body went rigid for the briefest of moments. Once his muscles reanimated, he whipped his head around, causing silver wisps of his hair to fly into his face, and caught sight of his father running towards him. He passed the chocobo chick back to Sazh so swiftly he nearly ended up dumping the poor thing on the ground before tearing off through the grass, running faster than he ever had in his life. He never thought he would be so happy to see his father, but, after their reconciliation in Palumpolum, he couldn't wait to start over with him.

His breath exploded from his lungs as he slammed into Bartholomew Estheim's chest and he was shocked for only a second that he hadn't flown right through him.

_Okay, I'm not hallucinating,_ he thought with immense relief.

"You're really alive," Hope mumbled, fisting his hands into his father's shirt.

"Of course I am," Bartholomew answered, tightly wrapping his arms around his son. "I just couldn't leave you alone, could I?" He chuckled as he ruffled Hope's silver hair, the relief he felt encompassing his entire being. "I'm glad you're safe. You have no idea how worried I was. How are your friends?"

Hope looked over his shoulder to see his comrades walking towards him. Behind them, Lightning's crystal sparkled brightly in the sun. "Light might be in crystal stasis for a while," he replied, turning his face away from her and staring down at his shoes.

Bartholomew looked past his son, his brow furrowed, and his eyes immediately settled on Lightning. The sight of her took him off guard; he had never seen a crystallized l'Cie before, so he couldn't help but marvel at the tragic beauty of the scene before him. He'd only spent a few brief hours with the former GC Sergeant, but he could tell even then that she'd had a lasting impression on Hope. He couldn't begin to imagine what must be going through everyone's minds considering her predicament. He glanced down at his son and noticed the crestfallen droop of his shoulders. He sighed in defeat, wishing there was something he could do to alleviate his worries.

The father laid a consoling hand on his young son's shoulder, causing him to look up. Bartholomew sent him the most encouraging smile that he could. "Everything's going to be okay, son." He tried to make his voice as reassuring as possible, but a part of him felt like his attempt fell flat.

One corner of Hope's mouth curled up slightly at his father's words. A part of him, deep down, knew he was right. He knew Lightning would wake up one day, it was just a question of when.

"Mr. Estheim!" Snow announced as the small group came to a stop beside the father son duo, shaking the older man's hand. "Good to see you still alive!"

Bartholomew smirked, his eyes crinkling at the edges in amusement. "I could say the same for all of you. I don't know what you did or how you did it, but thank you." He paused and shifted his gaze to Lightning's crystallized form once again. "Hope told me about Lightning. I'm sorry."

The atmosphere immediately turned somber. Everyone turned their heads and gazed at her crystal, which was sitting forlornly in the middle of the field like some strange kind of grave marker. Hope had to admit, the sight was absolutely breathtaking, but he hated it. He forcefully tore his eyes away from her and pretended to take interest in staring at Cocoon. He didn't want to be reminded of the unknown every time he looked at her, didn't want to constantly repeat all the 'what ifs' and 'coulda, shoulda, wouldas' in his head like some sort of twisted, backwards mantra. A large part of him wished that he was in crystal stasis with her. Hope bit down on the corner of his bottom lip hard enough to make his eyes water, almost wishing he wouldn't have said anything to his father about Lightning just so he could pretend everything was alright for a few more minutes.

_He was bound to find out sooner or later though,_ Hope reasoned in his mind, turning his attention back to his remaining friends.

He frowned as he looked at each of his friends individually. All of them were staring at Lightning like they would never see her awake again and that made a strange, unwelcome sensation start churning restlessly in the pit of his stomach. He didn't want them acting like she had died. Just like Snow had said earlier, she would be mortified if she knew they were acting like this. He couldn't help the ghost of a smile that crept onto his face as he imagined what she would do if she could see them right now. She would be standing there with her arms crossed and all her weight resting on her right leg, glaring daggers at each of them. She would say that they had more important things to worry about than fretting over her.

Hope suddenly felt a surge of irritation and let it get the best of him. "Snow," he began, getting the large blonde man's attention. "didn't you just say a few minutes ago that Light wouldn't want us falling apart because of her? I think you should start following your own advice." Once the words left his mouth, Hope blinked his eyes in surprise. The fact that he had just said that out loud left him standing there in shock, wondering if an unknown presence had possessed him and forced him to say that.

And by the way Snow was staring at him, the teen figured that he was just as stunned. Hope was worried that the martial artist would be angry with him and just about jumped out of his skin when hysterical laughter bursted out of Snow's mouth. For a second, Hope thought that Snow had spontaneously gone crazy. Why in the world was he laughing?

Still guffawing loudly, Snow stumbled over to Hope and clapped him roughly on the back, making the smaller boy stagger forward a couple steps. "Holy Shiva, Hope!" Snow exclaimed, wiping his eyes. "I can't believe you actually called me out!" He continued to laugh for a few seconds more before sucking in a large breath to calm himself down. "You're absolutely right though. There's no reason for us to act like she's dead."

Hope looked over his shoulder at Lightning's crystal and felt his heart plummet into his stomach for what seemed like the fiftieth time that day. "We need to find somewhere safe to put her for the time being." The teen pressed his lips together, surprised by the monotone that his voice had become.

"The Guardian Corps and PSICOM soldiers have set up a camp back that way," Bartholomew said, pointing behind him. Hope turned around and stared into the distance, squinting his eyes against the bright sunlight. After lifting a hand to shield his face, he spotted an immense cluster of PSICOM airships and people about five hundred meters in the distance. "We can ask a few of the soldiers to help us move her."

All of his friends nodded in agreement and began walking away with his father, but Hope stayed where he was, turning his head to look back at Lightning. He suddenly felt an overpowering need to stay with her. Just the thought of leaving her out in the middle of the Pulse wilderness unprotected made that horrible feeling still churning in his stomach to intensify and nearly succeeded in scaring him half to death. He looked back in the direction of his retreating group of comrades; they hadn't noticed he wasn't with them.

"If you guys don't mind, I'm going to stay with Lightning!" he called, making sure to raise his voice enough so they could hear him.

Snow stopped walking and glanced back at the young teen, seeming surprised for only a moment that he had stayed behind. "Yeah, good idea, Hope!" Snow shouted back. "We'll be back soon!"

Hope nodded and waved at the blonde man before he turned around and continued walking away. He watched them go for a few more seconds before pivoting and slowly jogging towards Lightning. He came to a stop in front of her, gazing into her crystallized eyes, and balled his hands into hard fists at his sides. He could practically hear Lightning's voice in his head, telling him to keep pushing forward and stay strong. He would be damned before he ever let her down. His eyes burned as tears blurred his vision, but he valiantly bit them back.

"I'll wait for you, Light," he whispered, his voice dangerously close to cracking. "I'll be here. Don't worry."


	2. Chapter 1: Loud As a Whisper

**Author's Note:**

First of all, everyone that left a review, favorited me and put this story on their alert, deserve immense and profuse thanks. 15 reviews just for the prologue! I was stunned! You guys seriously had me in tears over how much love this story has already recieved. I'm happy beyond comprehension that so many of you are enjoying what I've created. You make me so proud to be an author. That being said, I would love to hear some feedback on how you like the first official chapter of this fic. A bunch of stuff happens in this chapter, so I'm excited to see what everyone thinks! Also, from now on, this fic will be in Lightning's POV, just so there isn't any confusion.

Once again, my brilliant beta, **H-thar**, deserves boat loads of praise and adoration. Her last minute editing suggestions for this chapter were a HUGE help and ended up making it 10X better.

Anyways, happy reading everyone!

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Chapter 1

Loud As a Whisper

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The dreams were _fantastic_.

I had never before experienced lucid dreaming and was left astounded by how I could control and command the events as I saw fit. My dreams almost seemed like a sentient being, the scene before me morphing as soon as it detected that I was starting to lose interest. A handful of my past experiences were thrown in as well. High school, family vacations, childhood memories with Serah, and even monotonous, everyday tasks that I had found so meaningless at the time became the things I cherished the most. Seeing my parents' faces again after so long and hearing their voices… I had no words to describe how amazing it felt.

After a while, the feel of all those wonderful dreams shifted, but I couldn't articulate an explanation for what was going on, and that left me unsettled.

I was aware, on some unconscious level, that I was in crystal stasis, though. Normal dreams could never be so vivid – so real.

The familiar tingling sensation I had come to associate with a dream shift crawled across my skin, and I was suddenly running through a lush, green forest with tall trees scattered all around me. They were so tall, in fact, that I couldn't see the top most branches. The forest was alive around me. Squirrels chattered as they jumped through the canopy overhead, rabbits and mice scurried out of my way as I ran past, and birds of varying sizes and colors flitted through the air, chirping happily. Various scattered thoughts floated through my mind as I ran and listened to the activity surrounding me – trivial things, like how soft the grass was beneath my bare feet and the beauty of the patterns the sun's rays created as they shone down through the leaves. Out of nowhere, wonderings about how long I had been here made me stop running, and I scanned the dream forest with my eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

_I don't think I've been running for very long. I'm hardly out of breath,_ I thought absently. A pricking in the back of my mind told me that wasn't the reason I had those thoughts to begin with.

Before I consciously made the decision, my legs began carrying me forward once more, but I immediately skidded to a halt, staring down at my feet like they had somehow betrayed me. When I looked back up, I suddenly felt an overwhelming powerful need to get out of this forest. It felt as though some unseen force was both pushing and pulling me, prodding me to continue, and I had no choice but to obey it. I had never experienced this sensation before in any of my other dreams, so I was at a total loss. I continued running, unsure of where I was being led, for what felt like hours until I unexpectedly broke through the trees and stumbled out onto a white, sandy beach.

The landscape looked so much like Bodhum's shoreline that I felt my chest constrict around my pounding heart like a vice. _Will I ever see my home again?_ I thought as I slowly scanned the horizon.

"Lightning!"

I hadn't heard my moniker in so long that I almost didn't answer to it. I had become accustomed to hearing my real name in all the memories that I had relived, so the time it took me to respond was longer than it should have been. When I finally turned my head, I almost fell down out of pure shock at the sight of Vanille running toward me. At first, I thought it was a hallucination or even a part of my dream, so I rubbed my eyes, thinking she would disappear. When I pulled my hands away from my face she was still there, running right at me and smiling brightly.

_Alright, get it together. She's real,_ I thought, breathing a sigh of relief.

Vanille danced up to me and threw her arms around my neck, squeezing me tightly. I grunted as I caught her, staggering back a couple of steps in the deep sand before regaining my balance. "It's so good to see you, Lightning!" she exclaimed, her voice bubbling over with mirth.

I smiled as I hugged her back. "It's good to see you, too," I replied, stepping out of her embrace a second later. "What are you doing here?"

She smiled and backed a few paces away then folded her hands behind her. "I came to wake you up," she answered simply, like she went around waking people up from crystal stasis on a regular basis.

I felt my throat dry up as the only question I cared to ask burned in my mind. "How long have I been asleep?" I asked, a heavy feeling settling into the pit of my stomach. I knew the probability that I wasn't going to like her answer was high.

A mischievous expression appeared on her face then, and I knew that my instincts were right. "I can't tell you that. You'll find out when you get back. Now go on! Get going!" She ran up to me and turned me around, then began pushing me forward.

I looked back at her, a half smile pulling my mouth up, despite feeling more confusion than anything. "I'll wake up if I go this way? How?"

"No more questions!" she ordered, giving me one last shove. "Just keep going!"

I stopped momentarily and looked back at her, knowing in my heart that this would be the last time I would see her. "Thank you, Vanille."

The young Pulsian girl smiled sadly, her eyes glistening. "Don't mention it. I'm going to miss everyone. Tell them hi for me." She brought a hand up near her face and waved good-bye.

I nodded. "Tell Fang hi when you see her." I turned around and began walking away before she said anything else.

"I will!" she shouted back. "Goodbye, Light!"

As I continued walking down the endless expanse of beach, something strange began to happen. The sensation that I was wading through water instead of walking across the sand made me glance down, perplexed. The feeling slowly traveled up my body, making it progressively harder for me to move forward. Before long, I was struggling to take even the smallest shuffling step. Then, to add insult to injury, my vision began gradually darkening, like some unseen force was dimming the light of the sun, until I could no longer see. Soon after that, I was floating through the void of inky blackness, the gentle rocking motion sending me into a state of content unconsciousness.

I opened my eyes what seemed like only seconds later and blinked a few times to clear my blurry vision. The sky above me was a brilliant blue with thick puffs of clouds drifting by lazily on the wind, and, as I lay there trying to figure out where I was, I caught sight of something hanging in the sky. My entire body went rigid when I realized what that object was exactly.

It was Cocoon…and it was crystallized.

My jaw slackened, eyes widening as I tried to remember how to move, this discovery shaking me to my core. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. _Nothing_ about what I was seeing made sense. I blinked my eyes rapidly, thinking I was merely experiencing a side effect of being in crystal stasis, but after a long stretch of breathless silence, the scene before me remained unchanged and I knew what I was seeing was real. Cocoon's shell had been turned to crystal and was now suspended in the air by a mountainous spire.

I gradually pushed myself up onto my elbows, refusing to look away from Cocoon, the shock being slowly replaced with awe. I frowned as I recalled those final moments before I had been put into crystal stasis. After we defeated Orphan, all of us were floating through the air together – until Fang and Vanille broke away and turned into Ragnarok. I also remembered looking over at Hope, who had my hand in a vice like grip. After that, I couldn't recall anything but the dreams. I took in a sudden breath, not realizing that I had been holding it, and my frown deepened when I looked down at myself, confounded by what I was lying in.

_Flowers? Why am I surrounded by flowers?_

That's when I pushed myself up into a sitting position and gasped, receiving yet another shock that left me frozen in place. I was positive that the town in front of me was Oerba; I recognized the aged brick of a few of the buildings and the rusted windmills, but the Oerba that was displayed in front of me was…_huge_. It had to have been three, maybe four times larger than what I remembered. There was no telling how long such development might have taken. My ribcage constricted painfully around my heart when the thought that the rest of my friends – and even worse, _my sister_ – were quite possibly long gone.

I rose unsteadily to my feet, the desire to know exactly how long I had slept at the forefront of my mind. I instinctively reached back and wrapped my hand around the hilt of my gunblade, the Omega Weapon, and pulled it out of the scabbard. I flicked my wrist, exposing the blade and admired the scythe-like curve of it, the black and silver metal that caught the sunlight just right. In facing whatever this new world had to offer, I would at least have a decent means of defense. I flicked my wrist once more, folding the weapon back into its gun form and returned it to the scabbard.

When I looked back up and spotted a man standing about ten feet away from me, I just barely saved myself from jumping straight into attack mode. The fact that he had gotten so close without me noticing was alarming. I breathed in deeply and quickly appraised him, wondering if he was military or not. Even though he was wearing civilian clothing that didn't really tell me anything. "Um, hello," I began, putting my hands up in the air so he could see them. I was a little nervous, unsure if I would still be feared and hated as a Pulse l'Cie. "Can you help me?"

The man was deathly silent as he stared at me with wide eyes. I moved to approach him, but, before I could make any forward progress, he turned tail and ran back toward Oerba. "She's awake!" he shouted. "Lightning's awake!" He continued to yell those two sentences all the way into town, until I could no longer hear him.

I stood there in the silence, staring at the space the man had been occupying just moments ago, with confusion painted all over my face. I had been expecting him to scream in terror and run away calling me a l'Cie, if anything. Had the people of this town – or perhaps city was a better word for it – been waiting for me to wake up? My mind instantly went to my brand and I unzipped the neck of my uniform with shaking fingers, apprehensive about what I would or wouldn't see. I tucked my chin into my chest to get a clear view, and my mouth would have fallen open if it wasn't being held closed. My skin was completely unmarred. No trace of my l'Cie brand was anywhere to be seen. I rubbed my fingers over the spot where it used to be, thinking that I was somehow imagining it, but nothing changed. In spite of the glorious realization that I was free, my heart sank as I finally realized that I no longer felt Odin's presence in my mind. He had been a part of me for so long that the void he left felt like a chasm. I was going to miss him.

I suddenly heard hushed whispering and snapped my head back up, quickly zipping my uniform shirt in the process. This was the second time in the past five minutes that these people had managed to sneak up on me, which was a bit disturbing. I spotted a small group of people gathered by the town's entrance, huddling next to the aged brick wall and peeking around it with wide eyes. I found it odd that I couldn't detect any fear coming from them, only curiosity, and a couple of them were even smiling as though they were excited to see me. As soon as they noticed me looking at them, their voices immediately hushed and they froze in place. I wasn't exactly sure what to do, so I lifted a hand and waved at them, opening my mouth to repeat my last question, but they disappeared before I could get a single word out, their hurried footsteps scattering.

I huffed in frustration and shook my head as I followed, confounded by the strange behavior of these people. _I just want to find out how long I was asleep,_ I thought. _Then find my sister._

I paused momentarily by the brick wall to see if anyone else was approaching, but the path was entirely deserted and unnaturally quiet, another thing I found very odd. Once again, I was amazed by the amount of growth that Oerba had gone through. It reminded me vaguely of Bodhum. My mind tried to dredge up the chilling fact that I might be alone in this new world, but I forcefully pushed it away. I didn't need to be thinking about that right now. I'd worry about it later.

Just when I was getting ready to turn the corner towards the town proper, I heard someone scream my name – my _real_ name. There was only one person alive that was permitted to call me by my real name, and the jolt that shot through me just then left me rooted in place, glancing about wildly. I _knew_ that voice. I lurched around the corner, forcefully reanimating my body, and hoped that I was going in the right direction. I heard her call my name again and gasped when she came into sight. A wide smile was stretched across her face, but I could clearly see the glisten of tears in her eyes as she sprinted up the cobbled street.

"Serah!" I shouted, the plethora of emotions that suddenly surged inside me twisting my stomach into a dozen painful knots as I took off toward her.

She jumped into the air, launching herself at me once there was only a short stretch of space left between us. I caught her easily and swung her around in a wide circle, crushing her to my chest as I firmly planted her feet back on the ground. I felt my eyes burn with unshed tears, but grit my teeth against them, refusing to let myself cry. Then, before I could even register what was going on, I was suddenly surrounded on all sides by three other pairs of arms. I didn't really care about the others at the moment; I was only concerned about my sister. She was here and, most importantly, she was alive.

I pulled her away from me and gripped her face with my hands. She looked older, but I couldn't determine exactly how much. I was hoping it had only been a few years. I could feel more tears pricking at the edge of my vision when I looked into her eyes that looked so much like my own.

"I thought I would never see you again," she sobbed, touching my hair and face with trembling fingers. "I thought you were never going to wake up."

I captured her hands and clutched them tightly in front of my chest, locking my eyes on hers. "How long was I in crystal stasis? How long, Serah?" I asked, my heart beginning to race.

Her throat convulsed as she swallowed and she sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, breathing in deeply through her nose. "Seven years," she replied, her voice small.

My mouth dropped open in shock. "What?" All the air in my lungs whooshed out, leaving me feeling as though I had just been punched in the stomach.

That was seven years of time with my sister that I had missed, time with my friends that I would never get back. I straightened and took an unsteady step away from Serah, not believing that so much time had passed. I remembered the battle with Dysley and the slaying of Orphan like it had happened hours before. The fact that our struggle to save Cocoon had been over seven years ago left me thunderstruck.

The hands that I had forgotten about during my reunion with Serah tightened around me as I wavered unsteadily on me feet. Sazh, Dajh and Snow were surrounding me, smiling widely. Sazh even had tears in his eyes. I was shocked by how much older he looked. He hadn't been very young during his time as a l'Cie, but seeing flecks of grey in his jet black afro was unnerving. Dajh had turned into a very handsome youth. The boy's head came up to his father's shoulders now. Snow was…well, Snow was Snow. Like my sister, he didn't look that different. If anything, he was probably an inch or so taller. As if he wasn't tall enough already.

A flicker of movement down near Snow's legs caught my attention and what I saw made me sink to my knees in awe. A little girl that looked barely four years old was staring up at me with excitement shining in her bright blue eyes. Her curly blonde hair fell to her shoulders and, if I looked close enough, I could see a faint pink tinge coloring the silky strands.

"You're Auntie Cwaire," she whispered, the corners of her mouth twitching as she fought the smile that wanted to spread across her face.

I nodded and stayed silent, not trusting my voice at the moment, hesitantly opening my arms and hoping she would feel comfortable with coming to me. She stared at me warily with half of her face hiding behind Snow's leg, clutching the material of his pants in her small fist. After a few seconds of careful contemplation, her grin widened and she jumped into my arms, hugging me tightly. As I gently hugged her back, the tears that I had been holding in threatened to spill from my eyes.

"What's your name, sweetie?" I asked her, my voice quavering.

"Aven," she replied, nuzzling her face into my neck.

I looked up at my sister, smiling through my tears. "She's beautiful, Serah."

I reluctantly pulled her away from me and returned her to Snow's side before standing up, nonchalantly wiping my eyes and taking a deep breath, while I fought to regain my composure. As I flicked my eyes between Snow and Sazh, my mind had finally slowed down enough to notice that one member of our group was missing. I frowned at Serah as I brought my gaze back to her and she frowned back at me, tilting her head slightly to one side.

"Where's Hope?" I asked, a heavy feeling churning in the pit of my stomach.

Serah's eyes immediately lit up and she smiled, totally abolishing those bad feelings I was experiencing. "He lives in Paddra with his father. They moved there right after Bartholomew became Mayor."

I nodded, relieved that both Hope and his father were alright. The fact that he hadn't been left alone in the aftermath was extremely reassuring. I witnessed the turmoil first hand that he had gone through after he lost his mother and the revenge against Snow that had been his driving force for so long. At the time, his need for vengeance had been the only way for him to express his grief. To think that I had been the one to put that misguided thought into his impressionable fourteen year old brain.

I could still see the look on his face when I told him that Operation Nora was over. It was like I had betrayed him, and I knew that I had in a small way. Denying him that vengeance had practically left him with nothing. I had hated myself for breaking his spirit like that, but I didn't want his grief to destroy him. Seeing him so broken had reminded me of what I had gone through when I lost my parents. I had felt just as lost as he did. I never wanted to see him like that again.

I was actually kind of glad that he wasn't there with the others, just then. In my mind, Hope was still that bright-eyed fourteen year old boy; I knew I wasn't ready to see him grown up yet. If I had been in crystal stasis for seven years he would be twenty-one now, the same age as me.

_This is going to be awkward. I just know it,_ I thought. I was still assimilating the information that I was seven years behind everyone else. I didn't even know my own niece yet and I couldn't help but feel a little left out.

Serah's voice hooked my attention as she looped one of her arms around mine and began walking. "We'll all go see him tomorrow. He's going to be so excited that you're finally awake! Before he moved to Paddra, he was visiting you every day. After that he could only come a couple of times a month."

The frown that I had become so familiar with since my awakening came back as I looked over at my sister. "Really?" I said, only a little surprised by her words. I knew that Hope idolized me during our journey, but I had no idea about the depth of his admiration until now.

Serah nodded and a smile curled the corners of her lips up. "Yep."

I averted my eyes from her and my gaze settled on Cocoon. I was, once again, shocked by the sight. I glanced at Serah out of the corner of my eye as she continued to lead me through Oerba, deciding that now would be a good time to start chipping away at my mountain of questions. "So, what happened to Cocoon?" I asked, nodding my head toward the object in question.

"From what Snow and everyone else told me, Fang and Vanille became Ragnarok, and then, instead of destroying Cocoon, they crystallized it. Now they're in crystal stasis together," she replied, slowing down just enough to gaze up at our former home.

"What happened then? I mean, how did you guys get to this point?" I swept my hand through the air around me, indicating the newly restored Oerba.

"I'm so glad you weren't awake for that. It was a mess the first year. So many people refused to believe that Pulse was their new home – thousands of survivors all over Cocoon wouldn't even leave their houses. Eventually the soldiers had to forcibly take the people down to Pulse. All the fal'Cie were dead; Cocoon was practically uninhabitable, but no one understood that. The soldiers did what they had to do to protect them." Serah paused and took a deep breath. "Just know that it took forever for everyone to start working together."

My hand twitched as a pair of PSICOM soldiers turned the corner and began to walk towards us. I instinctively reached for my nonexistent l'Cie magic before I even realized what I was doing. That was when the two men waved at our group. In those few seconds, Cocoon could have fallen out of the sky and I wouldn't have noticed. What startled me even more was when my sister waved back at them! They passed us without speaking a word and I followed them with my eyes, my jaw unhinged.

Serah looked back at me and snorted, gleaning my thoughts off of my expression. "Yeah, it took PSICOM even longer to believe us about our brands. They came up with so many different stories about us it was hard to keep track of them al. It took every single one of us standing in a room stark naked in front of a dozen PSICOM officers for them to start believing us, and even then a few of them thought we were playing tricks on them. I think they still blame us for what happened to Cocoon," she said, sighing as she remembered everything they had gone through.

I scoffed, infuriated by the Sanctum's idiocy. "They would have blamed us if Cocoon had been destroyed, too. We wouldn't have been able to win either way. Have they given any of you trouble recently?"

She shook her head. "No, and I'm actually surprised about that. I never thought I would see the day when the rest of us lived peacefully alongside the Sanctum. It's been almost three years now since we've had any confrontation with them."

I nodded, appeased for the time being, and turned my head to stare at the backs of the retreating PSICOM soldiers. My eyes narrowed suspiciously, and I couldn't shake the feeling we hadn't seen the last of the trouble from them.

Sazh and Dajh parted ways with us a few blocks later, promising to join us in the morning on the trip to visit Hope. Serah and Snow took me on quick tour, showing me a few of the important points, which included a fitness gym, park, grocery store, shopping mall and airship dock. As I followed my sister, brother-in-law and niece through town, I couldn't help but notice all the people that were stopping to stare at me. I glanced uncomfortably in Serah's direction when a little boy began bouncing and up and down excitedly, jabbing his finger at me and looking at his parents. My sister's eyes briefly settled on the boy, but she refrained from commenting, so I followed suit and ignored them, intending to ask her about it later.

When we passed by a clearly marked military base, I paused. "Is Lieutenant Amodar still with the Guardian Corps?" I asked, interrupting her explanation about the transportation system.

Her brow creased in thought as she broke off mid-sentence and looked at the base. "Yes, actually. Only he's not a Lieutenant anymore. Last I heard he was a Colonel."

"Where can I find him, then?" I asked as we continued walking again. In the back of my mind, I knew I'd be returning to work before long.

"Oh, he lives in Paddra on the main GC base. You can stop by and talk to him tomorrow before we see Hope."

I nodded and tried listening to the rest of her explanations as we made our way to their home, but my mind was a confusing whir of activity. We eventually reached a residential district on the outskirts of Oerba near the shoreline, which only made me think of Bodhum even more. They led me to a nice ground level home that looked just right for their small family, and I noticed how different the architecture was compared to what I remembered on Cocoon. I paused a few paces behind my sister as Snow pulled his keys out of his pocket to unlock the front door, when Serah suddenly jumped and gasped.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" she announced. "Snow, we have to show her the surprise!"

Snow looked over his shoulder at her and his blue eyes widened in realization, a huge smile stretching across his mouth. "Yeah, that's right. We did forget, didn't we?" he replied, glancing down at his daughter where she was standing beside him and winking. Aven nodded and covered her mouth to hold in her giggles.

My eyebrows knit together in bewilderment as I looked at all three of them in turn. "What surprise?"

"Come with me! I'll be right back, Snow! Start dinner, please!" Serah exclaimed, grabbing my hand and pulling me away with her. "I can't believe I forgot! I've been waiting for five years to show you this and I almost forget about it!"

I didn't bother asking her what she meant and just nodded, even though she couldn't see it.

We continued down the road for about three hundred meters before she turned a corner and stopped abruptly. "Surprise!" she exclaimed with a smile, throwing her arms into the air.

I recognized the structure laid out before me immediately. The familiar and unnatural shape of my house was shining in the Pulsian sunlight not a hundred meters away, and a few of Snow's comments about the shape of it rang in my ears as I stared at it, completely dumbfounded. I forcibly tore my eyes away from it and met my sister's anticipated gaze. She was smiling at me, waiting for my reaction.

"How?" I asked incredulously.

"It's actually a really long story, but we reconstructed an exact replica of the house you had in Bodhum. Snow wanted to transport the original down here, but the time and resources it would have taken were just too unrealistic. We did manage to salvage as much on the inside as we could, like your furniture and clothing. Anyways, you want to go inside?" she asked, grinning while she dangled a silver key in front of my face.

I watched the object swing back and forth a few times before quickly snatching it out of her grasp and wasting no time in power walking toward the front door. I could hear my sister's footsteps echoing behind me as I went, my eyes focused intensely on my house. After we had become l'Cie, I was convinced I would never see it again, and my mind scrambled as I wondered if it would look the same as the original. After coming to a stop in front of the door, I fumbled with the lock, my hands refusing to do what I wanted them to and nearly ended up dropping the key twice. I took a deep breath, calming my racing heart, then tried again. The lock opened with an audible click and I pushed the door open, peering inside with trepidation.

Serah curled her hand around my shoulder and gently prodded me forward. "Go on," she whispered.

My feet moved mechanically as I passed the threshold, my eyes slowly scanning the floors, the walls, the windows and even the ceiling, soaking all of it in. I casually walked into the kitchen, running my fingers across the polished wood of the table, and felt the corners of my mouth twitch. If I didn't know better, I could swear that this was my original house. I was going to be in debt to my sister for the rest of my life.

"Snow and I agreed that you needed something familiar once you woke up," she explained, following me inside. "We thought it might make your transition a little easier."

"Serah…" I began, leaning against the table and turning around to look at her. My words got caught in my throat when my eyes met hers. The memory of her standing on the other end of this same table, confessing her fate as a l'Cie came rushing back to me and I realized that I had never apologized for not believing her. "I'm sorry."

She frowned and came to stand in front of me, crossing her arms lightly over her stomach. "What do you mean?"

"About not believing you when you told me that you were a l'Cie. I realize now that I never should have shunned you like that."

"Sis, that was a long time ago," she said, smiling delicately at me.

"Not for me it wasn't. I know that I hurt you, and I'm sorry."

Her smile widened and she crossed the small space between us to hug me tightly. "It's alright," she whispered soothingly. "I forgave you for that before I even went into crystal stasis."

I welcomed her embrace, once again relieved that my crystal slumber hadn't lasted for hundreds of years. "Thank you…for everything."

"It was nothing."

We stood like that for a few moments longer, just relishing each other's company, before I pulled away and looked at her, a myriad of different things that I wanted to say to her hanging off my tongue, but my mind refused to let me articulate any of them.

"Let's go back to my house," Serah said, breaking the silence. "I'm sure you have a bunch of questions. We can talk over dinner."

I simply nodded and moved to follow her out, casting one last lingering look at the interior of my house.

* * *

I didn't realize how hungry I was until I smelled what was coming out of the kitchen, and my stomach churned in anticipation. Once I remembered that it was _Snow_ who was doing the cooking, though, I suddenly wasn't so sure if I wanted to eat anymore. "You actually trust him in the kitchen?" I asked my sister with one eyebrow raised.

She hid a giggle behind her hand as she closed the front door behind me. "I've had seven years to get him trained, remember? He's gotten better, but he still prefers cooking on the grill. He should actually be getting the hamburgers ready right about now."

She led me into the kitchen and approached the stove where a couple of pots were stationed, steam rising from both. Serah examined them, taking a spoon and stirring the contents of one while I went to stand by the dining room table. I turned my head to look out the sliding glass doors leading to the backyard, spotting Snow standing in front of a huge grill amidst a cloud of smoke, and Aven running around barefoot in the grass beyond him. I sat down at the dining room table as my sister crossed to the doors and stuck her head outside to talk to Snow.

"We're having mashed potatoes with the hamburgers?" she asked, sounding like that hadn't been the original plan.

"Aven said that's what she wanted," he called over his shoulder. "I'm helpless to her powers of persuasion."

Serah chuckled as she closed the door. "She's had him wrapped around her little finger ever since the day she was born." She paused as she continued to stir the contents of both pots, then changed the subject. "So, I'm sure you noticed all those people staring at you while we were showing you around, right?" she asked, looking back at me with a knowing smile.

I nodded. "There were a few people that saw me after I woke up as well. They acted the same way."

"The survivors of Cocoon wanted someone to idolize after things startled settling down. They tried making celebrities out of all of us, Bartholomew included, but we didn't want any part of it. We just wanted everything to go back to some sort of normalcy," she explained, tasting the mashed potatoes then adding a few shakes of pepper. "You were in crystal stasis, so they started treating you like some sort of martyr, like you had chosen to stay crystallized or something. Believe me, it wasn't my idea to put you on that hilltop."

One corner of my mouth curled up at her remark. I wasn't really concerned about that. Now that I knew the exact reason behind their gawking, I could take care of it myself. There was actually something a little more pressing on my mind. "Serah?" I said, hoping that she would spare me any silly responses and just help me out once I made my unusual response known.

"Yeah, Sis?" she replied, turning her head to give me her attention.

I sighed and looked down at my hands for a split second. "Do you have any pictures of Hope? I need to see what he looks like now so I don't make a fool of myself tomorrow." I looked away from her, kind of regretting blurting that out at first. I meant it, though. I didn't want to be unprepared when I saw him.

I heard her giggle then brought my gaze back to her. She stirred the contents of the pots a couple more times before setting the spoon down on the counter. "I made sure to take tons of pictures of everything, for when you woke up! You've got seven years of scrapbooks to go through!" she announced as she danced out of the room.

I rolled my eyes and groaned, letting my forehead smack the surface of the dining room table. Now I really regretted opening my mouth about the pictures. When she was a teenager she had one of those blasted cameras glued onto her face day and night, insisting on making sure our lives were properly documented. Scrapbooking had turned into her favorite hobby practically overnight. I probably spent a couple thousand gil buying her all the materials she needed. She kept reminding me that it was what our parents would have wanted and I bought that excuse every time she fed it to me.

I quickly straightened up when she jogged back into the kitchen, carrying seven very large and very thick scrapbooks. She placed them carefully on the table and grabbed the one on the top before handing it to me. "This is the most recent one. You can go through the other ones at your leisure after we come back home tomorrow."

I couldn't help the sigh of relief that escaped my lungs. If she had made me start with the first one and work my way through, I might have found myself wishing to still be in crystal stasis. I drummed my fingers on the cover of the scrapbook that Serah had placed in front of me, a feeling of anxiety sneaking up on me. I tried to imagine what Hope would look like now, but the image of him as a fourteen year old that just lost his mother wouldn't leave my mind. I closed my eyes and quieted my racing thoughts, reminding myself that this wasn't that big of a deal.

I flipped open the front page, expecting to see a picture of twenty-one year old Hope staring me in the face, but all I saw was an index with everyone's name next to page numbers. My eyes slowly scanned down each name. Aven was first, followed by Serah and Snow, and then I saw _Hope Montgomery Estheim_ written in Serah's curvy handwriting. My fingers twitched as I flipped the pages, the anxiety I felt earlier coming back full force. I sucked in a deep breath when I got to the correct page. His full name was scrawled across the top of the paper, but my eyes refused to move away from it. I was instantly perplexed. I really did want to see the pictures, so I didn't understand why I was being this reluctant.

I forced my eyes to move down to the first picture on the page and my jaw slackened, hardly even recognizing the person looking back at me. The only things that were the same were his hair and his eyes. His face was leaner, and, from what I saw in the other pictures dotted across the page, he was tall. I could tell that he was much taller than I was now. Looking up to him was going to feel _very_ weird. I clamped my teeth together and pushed the scrapbook away from me, quickly grabbing another one. The person I had just seen was totally unfamiliar to me and I needed to look through all of the books to feel like I sort of knew him again.

_Alright, I take back what I said earlier about wanting to stay in crystal stasis,_ I thought as I continued flipping through the scrapbooks.

Besides seeing the pictures of Hope and everyone else, I noticed a few pictures of me as well. The photos of my crystal were only in the first scrapbook, something that was understandable. My sister wanted to document the changes that she and all of our friends had gone through in the last seven years; my crystal didn't change. The one picture that caught my eye, though, had been taken in the morning when the sun was just beginning to rise above the hills that surrounded me. The glare of the sun was directly in the camera's sights, creating a halation of light around my crystal that encompassed the entire top half of the photo. It was hauntingly beautiful.

Serah appeared next to me a while later and closed the scrapbook I was currently looking at, replacing it with a plate of food before I even had a chance to protest. She quickly cleared the table of the cumbersome books before gathering her daughter and husband to join us at the table for dinner. I was surprised to see the sky outside had darkened considerably. Had I really been sitting there looking at those scrapbooks for that long?

"So, Sis, what do you think of Hope?" Snow asked before taking a huge bite out of his burger. I felt my right eye twitch at his use of the nickname he had coined for me that I absolutely abhorred, but I was, in fact, technically his sister now.

_I'm going to have to put up with it,_ I thought with disdain.

I swirled my spoon around in my small mound of mashed potatoes, attempting to put my thoughts into words. I wasn't exactly sure what I thought of him. I knew that I was probably going to have to get to know him all over again. Seven years was a long time. A person could go through half a million changes in seven years if they wanted to. Meeting him again suddenly made me feel apprehensive. Would I like the person he was now, seven years later? Would there even be a shred of his fourteen year old self left that I would recognize? Those were questions I wouldn't be able to answer until I saw him.

"I'm not sure yet," I finally answered after many long moments. "I'll let you know after I see him tomorrow."

"Who?" Aven asked, looking back and forth between Snow and me with a curious expression.

"We're gonna see Uncle Hope tomorrow," Snow replied as he ruffled her hair.

Her blue eyes lit up and an adorable smile stretched across her small face. "Weally?"

"_Really_, really," he answered.

Aven turned her intelligent eyes to me then. "Have you met Unca Hope, Auntie Cwaire?"

I couldn't help the smirk that curled up one corner of my mouth. "I have. I knew Hope before you were even born."

Her eyes widened so much that I thought they were going to pop out of her skull. "Wow," she whispered, before going back to her dinner.

The conversation died then and we concentrated on our food, sitting in companionable semi-silence. The only sounds that could be heard were the clinks of the silver against the porcelain plates and Aven's humming. After we finished eating, I helped Serah clean up the kitchen while Snow got Aven ready for bed. Serah was chatting about random things as we washed the dishes when a small tugging on the corner of my cape made me stop and look down.

Aven was staring up at me with her big, innocent doe eyes. "Wiwl you wead me a stowy?" she asked, smiling as she rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet.

I looked toward my sister, wondering what I was supposed to do. "Go ahead, Sis," she said, handing me a towel so I could dry my hands. "I'll still be here when you get back, then we can go sit in the living room for a while."

I nodded, then awkwardly leaned down and picked Aven up. The tiny girl was extremely light; it hardly felt like I was holding a child at all. I carried her into her room and she wiggled out of my arms when I paused in front of her bed, scampering over to a bookcase that was crammed with every kind of children's book imaginable. She spent less than five seconds choosing which one she wanted me to read to her before shoving it into my hands and dashing into bed. She lay there staring at me with an expectant look on her cherub like face and pointing to a very comfortable looking rocking chair stationed at her bedside.

"You have a lot of books," I remarked as I sat down in the rocking chair.

"I wuv books," she replied. "Momma or daddy wead to me evewy night."

I nodded, humming a response as I opened the book to the first page. "Are you ready?" I asked, glancing at her briefly.

She nodded her head, pulling her blankets up under her chin, and locked her eyes on me. I cleared my throat and began reading, my own voice suddenly sounding strange, but if Aven noticed she didn't say anything. The story she had picked out was about the tragic love between a commoner and a princess, something I didn't really think a four year old should be concerned with, but I wasn't about to comment on it. As I read, though, I was impressed by the author's ability to translate such a subject in a way that a small child would understand, and by the time I reached the end, I thought it was actually rather charming.

I lifted my eyes off the page as I closed the book, pausing when I saw Aven fast asleep, snuggled beneath her blankets, and I couldn't help but sit there and watch her for a moment as she slept. She looked so much like Serah did when she was a little girl that the likeness was uncanny. After a few minutes of sitting in the calm silence, listening to her soft breathing, I carefully placed the book down on the small bedside table and crept out of her room, gently closing the door behind me.

Serah smiled, greeting me with a glass of red wine when I came back into the kitchen, and I accompanied her into the living room. Snow was watching a velocycle race on the television and didn't look up when we walked past him, his eyes focused on the screen.

"Don't mind him," Serah said, tucking her legs beneath her as she sat down on the couch. "He'll be entertained with that for a while. So, do you want to stay here for a few nights while you get adjusted, or do you want to stay at your house?"

I sat down next to her and took a small sip of my wine as I contemplated her question. I didn't really want to be alone quite yet and I was willing to bet that Serah didn't want me to leave either. "I'll stay here." I paused momentarily and shot her a sideways glance. "But I think you'd probably make me stay here, regardless."

She nodded, giggling softly. "You're right, there. I'm sure you're going to be diving right back into your solider duties as soon as you can, so I want you staying here for a few days at least."

I nodded, staring at the wine in my glass and watching as the light played through the crimson liquid. "We'll see. I'm probably going to wait for a while."

"I'm fine with whatever you decide. Talk with Amodar tomorrow and go from there."

We didn't go to bed for almost another hour. We sat there together and just talked about a number of different things, none of which were related. Serah was mainly the one talking. She told me about her pregnancy, the odd little things Aven would do when she was a baby, and her own misadventures trying to figure out the classes she wanted to take at the local college. The serenity of just sitting there with her, hearing her tell me about the last seven years of her life, almost felt like a privilege.

Once our wine glasses were empty and we finally noticed the late hour, Serah showed me to the guest bedroom and left so I could get settled by myself. I was grateful she hadn't decided to stay and hover. Sometimes I had the feeling that she knew me better than I knew myself and I knew I probably wouldn't ever experience anything like that with anybody else.

The guest room was small and possessed a vast amount of her unique touches, reminding me of what her room had looked like when we were teenagers. I found a majority of my clothes in the closet and dresser, including three of my extra uniforms. I quirked an eyebrow, wondering how long my clothes had been here, but decided in the end that I didn't really want to know. All I knew was that she had missed me and if keeping my clothes here was a way for her to stay close to me, then I wasn't going to question it.

Serah came to collect the uniform that I had been crystallized in after I had changed out of it. Before she said good night, she mentioned wanting to get an early start to Paddra the next morning. "I can't remember if Hope has to work tomorrow, so we should go see him before his shift starts," she said, folding my uniform over her arm.

I lazily dragged my fingers through my hair, yawning widely as I sunk onto the mattress, surprised I was even tired. "What does he do?" I asked, praying to the Maker that he hadn't decided to become a soldier.

Serah took a breath and opened her mouth, but quickly clamped it shut a second later, a mischievous smile pulling the corners of her lips up. "That's for him to tell you. He's been waiting seven years to talk to you again, and if I stole any of his thunder he would never forgive me."

I couldn't help the half-hearted grin that spread across my face as I bobbed my head a few times. The strange feeling that began crawling through my chest just then was impossible for me to fight off. "Good night, Serah. See you in the morning."

"Sweet dreams, Claire," she said, closing the door behind her.

I lay awake, staring up at the ceiling for close to half an hour before my mind finally succumbed to sleep.


	3. Chapter 2: Time's Arrow

**Author's Note:**

First off, apologies for the late update. The beta had a very busy week, but she's so awesome and amazing and her edits helped so much that they were well worth the wait. Thank you to everyone that reviewed last chapter. I'm floored by all the wonderful comments this story has received and I'm just so ecstatic that all of you are enjoying it. I sincerely hope that continues. Everyone that reads, reviews, favorites and alerts this story inspire me to be better and to provide a thrilling, engaging story. So thank you. I can't express my gratitude enough.

Anyway, as mentioned above, profuse showerings of thanks and love go to **H-thar**, without whom I would be up the creek without a paddle. I hope all of you enjoy this latest installment and I'd love to hear what you think when you're finished reading!

* * *

Chapter 2

Time's Arrow

* * *

That morning my internal clock woke me up before the sun had begun to rise. My tired eyes focused on the ceiling, and I tried to remember if I had any dreams but found that I couldn't determine if I did or not. After seven years of dreaming, I figured that it would be a while before I started again. I closed my eyes and tried going back to sleep, but the solider side of me wouldn't allow it. I couldn't remember the last time that I had slept in past six in the morning. It had probably been back before my parents had died, back when things were less complicated.

I sighed heavily as I turned my head to look out the window. I could see a faint orange glow painting the horizon; it wouldn't be long before sunrise. I threaded my fingers through my hair, my eyes transfixed on the dark scenery outside the window, as I took a few moments to think about the magnitude of my situation. I considered myself exceedingly lucky that I hadn't slept for hundreds of years like Fang and Vanille had. Seven years was a minuscule blip in time compared to five hundred.

I was concerned for only a moment about whether or not I would be able to adapt to this new world. I was seven years behind, after all, and the GC could have changed even with Amodar's continued presence. For all I knew, the GC and Sanctum soldiers could have joined forces. I stopped that train of thought immediately before it could branch out any farther. It wasn't a question about whether I could or couldn't get used to this new world I had been unceremoniously dropped into. I didn't have a choice.

The door clicked as it opened and I looked to my left, spotting my sister's pink hair poking inside the doorway. She smiled when she saw my half-lidded eyes and bed head. "Good morning! I'm not surprised to see you awake already," she greeted, padding softly inside the room. She was fully dressed already, something I hadn't been expecting from her.

I smiled back and sat up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. "When are we leaving?"

"As soon as you get ready," she replied as she walked toward the closet, pulling out one of my fresh uniforms. "Aven is eating cereal and Snow just left to buy our tickets."

I frowned as I accepted the uniform from her, calmly beginning to dress. "For an airship, right?" I asked, remembering when she had briefly mentioned the transportation system the other day.

"Exactly," she answered with a smile. "The government is working on a highway system between Paddra and Oerba, but things like that take a long time. Road crews have been working on it for the past half year, but it's extremely slow going because of the wildlife they have to watch out for." She paused and waited for me to finish getting dressed. "Anyway, let's go out and have a little breakfast. We can leave as soon as Snow gets back."

Aven waved at me when I came into the kitchen, smiling at me through a mouthful of sugary cereal. I sat down next to the small girl as Serah got some cereal for the both of us. The silence was a little awkward, so I felt the need to fill it. "So, Aven, did you like the story I read to you last night?"

She nodded, her smile widening. "Uh huh, dat book my favowite."

Serah set a bowl down in front of me, filled to the brim with brown flakes, oat clusters and raisins. I was surprised for only a moment when she hadn't given me the cereal that Aven was eating. My sister, being the careful observer she was, noticed my expression. "Did you want Aven's cereal, Sis?"

I smiled sheepishly as I shook my head. "No, this is fine."

Once Serah sat down across from me, we settled into a peaceful silence as we ate our breakfast. I stared down at my bowl, chewing slowly, and trying not to think about the reunion that would be taking place in a couple short hours. I had just finished my last bite of cereal when I heard the front door open and Snow call out for Serah.

"In here, babe," she replied, taking my empty bowl and placing it in the sink. "I was starting to wonder if you got lost."

"Sorry about that," Snow replied, tossing the tickets down on the table. "I ran into Sazh and Dajh at the airship dock. They're gonna wait there for us."

"Well, we're ready," Serah replied before looking at her daughter. "Right, Aven?"

"Yep!" she announced, hopping off her chair and running down the hallway. She returned a few moments later with a pink and purple backpack that looked dangerously close to bursting open slung over her shoulders. "I dot my stuff."

"Are you sure? I don't want to have to come all the way back here if you forget something," Snow said playfully, snatching his small daughter into the air and lifting her over his head.

She squealed in delight, tightly gripping her father's hands. "Yeah, I have evewything!"

Snow then gently placed Aven on his shoulders and wrapped his large hands around her ankles to make sure she wouldn't fall off. "Let's get going then!"

* * *

The airship dock was impressive. A whole conflagration of different sized airships were parked in the docks, and I had to control the urge to stare at them as we walked past like I had never seen one before. The technology had definitely come a long way and I was looking forward to seeing what else had changed. The crowd was immense and people were still staring at me like I was a legend come to life as we walked to our gate. It was unsettling, to say the least, so I concentrated on the back of Sazh's head and tried to take my mind off the fact that dozens of pairs of eyes were watching me.

Serah, who was walking beside me, looped her right arm through my left and whispered into my ear, "In the next week or two, you'll be old news." Even with her reassuring words repeating themselves in my head, I wasn't able to relax until we were in our own private cabin aboard the airship.

"How are you gettin' along so far, Lightning?" Sazh inquired as he sat down across from me, a large smile spreading across his face.

I ripped my eyes away from the familiar scenes of the Pulse wilderness flying by below us and cleared my throat. I still didn't know if I could put my feelings to words yet. "Alright, I guess," I responded, finding myself at a loss for what to say. "I'm just glad to be here." To be honest, it felt like everyone around me was moving at a hundred miles an hour while I was stuck in slow motion. The fact that the other day hadn't been a figment of my imagination was astonishing. A part of me had been surprised when I awoke in Serah's guest bedroom.

"We're all real glad to have you back. I just can't wait to see Hope's face when he finds out you're awake," Sazh said, the corners of his eyes crinkling as his smile widened.

I nodded and resumed looking out of the window, choosing not to respond to that. Ever since I had been reunited with everyone, all I heard about was how excited Hope would be when he saw me out of crystal stasis. I couldn't help but wonder why. Why exactly would he be so excited? Why had he even felt the need to visit my crystal like it was some sort of grave marker?

_Don't forget that he looked up to you. That alone could be reason enough,_ my mind rationalized. I pursed my lips as I rested my elbow on the window sill and brought my hand to my face, tenderly rubbing my forehead. That thought made sense, but something in the back of my head told me that wasn't the only reason.

About an hour into our flight with another hour still to go, I turned to Snow, a question to which only he would know the answer swirling through my head. Impressed as I was with the new transportation system, it had occurred to me that there had originally been a faster way to travel.

"What happened to the Cie'th teleport stones we used?" I inquired, remembering how easy it had been to get around with those things at our disposal.

He crossed his arms and frowned, sitting in contemplative thought for a few seconds. "I'm not sure actually. They just sort of…disappeared. I think the fact that none of us were l'Cie anymore had something to do with it."

My eyebrows scrunched together as I considered his words. In all honesty, that was an interesting hypothesis, even for Snow. It was a shame they were gone, though. We could have been in Paddra already. Even though Snow's attitude was nonchalant, I couldn't shake the feeling that something about all of this was wrong. I couldn't put my finger on it, but my intuition was telling me that the Cie'th stones disappearing wasn't a good thing. If Snow or any of my other friends would have shown any amount of concern or worry over these strange disappearances I probably would have made a bigger deal out of it, but since no one else looked worried I wasn't going to press the issue.

My jaw muscles tightened as the silence enveloping us began to get awkward. I uncomfortably shifted my eyes back to the window, feeling everyone's gazes lingering on me, as if they were anticipating my next big question. I resisted the urge to sigh in relief when Sazh chose that moment to speak up.

"Might as well do some catchin' up while we wait. I guess I'll lead the charge." He paused to clear his throat like he was going to be delivering a long, important speech. "Been workin' for both the Guardian Corps and Oerba's air ship docks for the past three years. Haven't worked this much since I was Snow's age, but it helps keep me busy," he said, leaning forward to rest his elbow on his knee.

"What kind of work do you do for the Guardian Corps?" I asked him, leaning my head against the cool glass of the airship's window.

"I usually transport equipment and supplies between the bases," he answered proudly. "For the past few months, though, I've been helping the survey teams move between their areas of study."

Deep creases appeared on my forehead at his words and I sat up straight, my full attention on the aging pilot across from me. "Survey teams?" I questioned, trying to figure out the meaning on my own, but unable to come up with a conclusive answer.

"A few years back a group of scientists discovered huge underground pockets of resources like oil and natural gas about a hundred miles outside of Paddra. Don't ask how they found it, I'm not even sure myself. Then the military figured that since over half of Pulse is undiscovered, there has to be hundreds, maybe thousands, of natural resources out there that we can use. So they sent out survey teams," he explained, gesturing with his hands the entire time he was speaking.

I nodded and leaned back in my seat once more, knowing there was no real cause for alarm. I was getting ready to ask Sazh about Amodar when Snow decided that was his cue to cut in. "NORA is still going strong, too," the large man boasted. "We even managed to recruit a few extra members. Oh, and the GC appointed all of us Creature Control Officers."

I fought the impulse to roll my eyes. I should have assumed his little group of swashbucklers would never break up. "So, do you have any serious problems with the local wildlife?" I asked, casually crossing my right leg over my left.

"Yeah, but only a couple of times a week if we're lucky. Usually during the changing of the seasons we have a lot more trouble. You know, because that's when most of the migrations take place. And Oerba just so happens to be right in the middle of their path," he replied, adjusting the black bandanna on his messy mop of blond hair.

"Have there been any casualties?" I looked at Aven out of the corner of my eye, beginning to become concerned about everyone living in Oerba, not just my own family.

He shook his head. "No, thank the Maker. None of them ever get that close to the city. We make sure of that."

I nodded, relieved, and continued to look out the window as the conversation shifted to something that I really wasn't concerned with. I let my mind wander, contemplating a myriad of different things, but finding myself thinking mostly about Hope yet again. I was trying not to psych myself out about seeing him, but it was hard when so much time had passed for him while I had remained the same. I was still having a difficult time wrapping my head around that one and the fact that it was going to take a while yet until I adjusted to being so far out of the loop didn't make me very happy. My teeth ground together in irritation and I rested my chin in my hand, forcing myself to take a deep, cleansing breath.

* * *

Paddra was magnificent. It reminded me vaguely of Palumpolum and was probably just as expansive. Some of the buildings were so tall that I had to crane my neck all the way back to see the tops. I found myself just as flabbergasted as I had been in the airship dock and vaguely felt like a gaping tourist as I glanced around, standing at the edge of our group while we coordinated just outside. Serah quickly decided for the rest of us that we were going to walk all the way to Bartholomew's house just so I could get acquainted with a little bit of the city. Sazh hadn't been too thrilled about that one, but he eventually acquiesced after a little bit of prodding from his son.

Personally, I was torn. One part of me wanted to do a little sightseeing while the other part just wanted to hurry up and get to where we were headed. My sister had made that decision before I could choose which option I wanted more.

We had been walking for almost half an hour when an odd feeling passed over me. I paused in the middle of the sidewalk and let myself believe, if only for a second, that I was really in Palumpolum with my sister, my niece and all my other friends going to visit Hope. I tried to imagine myself at twenty-eight years old and attempted to conjure up a bunch of fake memories to fool myself into thinking that I hadn't been in crystal stasis, but found that I couldn't. When I was around Aven's age, I distinctly remembered wishing to never grow old. I wanted to turn eighteen and just stop aging. Of course, I didn't stop to think about everyone around me that would grow old and die while I remained young.

_It's strange that I got my wish in such a twisted way._

That's when an unsettling thought about the course of my life blindsided me. If Serah hadn't been turned into a l'Cie, I would never have gotten on the Purge train and I would have never met Fang, Vanille, Sazh or Hope. I would still be living in Bodhum and still be blissfully unaware of how corrupted the Sanctum had really been. In that case, even though the end result was me missing out on seven years of my friend's lives, I was glad that the events had unfolded the way they had.

I was shaken out of my trance when a tiny hand wrapped around mine and tugged on it. I glanced down, still in a slight daze, and saw Aven looking up at me with a smile that looked so much like Serah's it was almost unnerving. "You fawling behind, Auntie Cwaire. You otay?"

I nodded absently, blinking my eyes a few times to shake myself the rest of the way out of my trance. "Yeah, I'm fine. Lead the way."

Her smile widened as she started skipping away, her hand still gripping mine tightly. I had to quicken my stride only minimally so I could keep up with her, the thought of gently taking my hand out of hers crossing my mind briefly, but I decided to tolerate her holding my hand for now. I lifted my head and saw the rest of the group waiting at the corner for us about a hundred yards ahead and was shocked that it had taken them so long to notice I wasn't with them. It must have been Aven that noticed my absence which, in turn, alerted my sister.

"What did you see, Claire?" she asked as I came to stand in front of her. She glanced over my shoulder and frowned as she tried to figure out what had made me stop.

"It was nothing. I just got distracted." I paused and looked around. We were in a shopping district; dozens of different stores and restaurants lined the streets all around us. I knew in the back of my mind that my sister was going to insist that we return here later so I could buy new clothes. I couldn't help the involuntary shiver at the thought of what the clothes looked like nowadays. If I thought some of them were bad seven years ago, I had no idea what to expect now.

"How much farther?" I grumbled, hoping I didn't sound like some petulant child, but not really caring much if I did. Had I known walking was going to take this long I would have insisted on taking a transport. I had the rest of my life to 'get acquainted' with Paddra as well as Oerba. I just woke up yesterday, after all.

"Not far. Just a few more blocks up then to the left," Serah answered. She pulled a fancy cell phone out of her purse, more than likely to check the time, then bit down nervously on her bottom lip. "Maybe we should have taken a cab. Hope might have gone to work already."

_Wonderful. Leave it to my sister to think about something like that after the fact._

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "We won't know until we get there. Let's just keep going."

It took about another fifteen minutes to get to Bartholomew's house, and when I saw the size of it I knew that his pay as mayor was considerable. As we walked up the gravel driveway, I suddenly felt my legs begin to shake and it got worse the closer we got to the front door. I had to resort to fisting my hands at my sides to prevent everyone from seeing them quivering. Snow would have immediately noticed and spoke up about it, which was something I wasn't prepared to be drilled about.

When we stopped in front of the large double doors, I almost felt like diving into one of the shrubs. Just the thought of doing something so foolish would have been out of the question a few hours ago, but now it was fair game. The seconds hung in the air when Serah lifted the large brass knocker and slammed it against the door three times, the sound reverberating around us. I relaxed my tightened fists just long enough to cross my arms and clutch the fabric of my uniform that was wrapped around my ribcage. I could feel my heart bouncing around in my chest and took a deep breath to calm myself down.

_This is ridiculous! Why am I acting so childish? This is only Hope, for Maker's sake!_ I thought, barely retaining a grip on my emotions. I was glad to be standing in the back of the group so no one would see the torment I was putting myself through. I was fairly sure the expression on my face was far from pleasant.

When the door opened, my heart froze in my chest, my anxiety threatening to choke me. I sucked in a huge gulp of air when I saw Bartholomew's face come into view, my heart kick starting back into its normal rhythm. Hope's father answering the door didn't mean I was off the hook yet, though. As soon as he saw my sister's and Snow's faces he smiled widely and immediately moved to give both of them a hug.

"Serah! Snow! What brings you here?" he inquired, backing up a few paces.

I could already tell that Serah was going to give the poor man the run around and I knew that was something he didn't deserve. He was gracious enough to open his home to a group of l'Cie all those years ago even though that one action alone could have gotten him killed. Just as my sister was getting ready to speak, I stepped out from behind Sazh and casually approached him.

"It's nice to see you again, Bartholomew," I announced, going to stand next to my sister.

When he realized who was standing in front of him, he gasped and stumbled backwards a few steps like he had been punched in the gut, staring at me as though I had miraculously risen from the dead. "Lightning Farron?" he questioned, cautiously coming back toward me. He blinked his eyes rapidly and rubbed them vigorously, more than likely thinking that I was a figment of his imagination. He pulled his hands away from his face and ran both hands through his hair, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Forgive me, I just wasn't expecting to see you."

"It's alright," I responded, shaking his promptly outstretched hand.

"So when did you wake up? Recently, I'm guessing?" he asked, shock still lingering on his face.

"Yes, I woke up yesterday." I paused for a moment and glanced sideways at my sister. "We were actually wanting to see Hope as well. Is he still here?"

"He left for work nearly half an hour ago, unfortunately. You're welcome to come in, though. I'd love to catch up with all of you," he replied, stepping out of the doorway to invite us inside.

My shoulders slumped minutely. I wasn't at all surprised since we'd wasted the morning wandering all over town. I knew Serah's decision of walking would turn out to be a bad one.

_I just about had a nervous breakdown for nothing. Wonderful._

"Thanks for the offer, Bartholomew, but there's something I need to do. I'll catch up with you later, if that's alright," I said, meeting my sister's gaze. The original plan had been to check in with GC Headquarters shortly after meeting Hope and company, but if we were going to be waiting around until Hope came back from work, I would need to use the time more efficiently.

"There are actually some things we need to take care of as well, but we'll be back. I hope you don't mind," Serah said to Bartholomew, shooting him an apologetic glance.

"Of course not. I'm off today, so I'm not going anywhere."

"Then we'll see you in a bit. Thank you so much," she replied with a smile.

We all bid Hope's father goodbye for the time being and began walking back toward the bustling streets of Paddra. The first thing I did once we were back on the main street was hail a transport. I definitely wasn't going to be walking to GC Headquarters. I didn't even know where it was, let alone how to get there. Serah rushed to my side then and wasted no time in shoving something into my hand.

"Here, take my cell phone. Call us once you've talked to Amodar." I glared down at the device in my hand with trepidation, not really wanting to take it.

_Wouldn't meeting them back here be easier?_ I thought as I listened to Serah explain how to work her needlessly high tech and expensive looking cell phone.

A hover cab slid up to the curb a few seconds later and I sighed in relief. "I'll buy you your own before we go back home," my sister offered, smiling up at me.

I nodded absentmindedly and slid into the backseat of the cab, still staring at her phone. "GC Headquarters, please," I told the driver, beginning to tinker with the device. It was actually quite well-made, about the size of my hand with a vividly bright screen. It looked sophisticated enough to pass for a mini computer.

_As long as I'm able to make calls I'll be happy._

"If you don't mind me saying," the driver began, pulling my attention away from the cell phone's screen. "Your uniform is pretty old. How long have you been in the GC?"

I frowned at the back of the man's head, not quite comprehending what he had said, and glanced down at my uniform. There were so many things that my mind was trying to process all at once that everything else seemed like white noise. I could feel the beginning of a headache start to pound behind my eyes and I lifted a hand to rub them. It was going to be a long day.

"What's wrong with my uniform?" I muttered, my voice coming out a little more agitated than I meant.

"Besides the fact that the GC recently changed them? Nothing," he replied, meeting my gaze through the rear view mirror. "I enlisted in the GC after everyone from Cocoon moved down here to Pulse, to help out with anything that I could. Got out a couple of years ago, so that's how I knew your uniform was old. I've never seen you before, though." The man narrowed his eyes at me, his voice taking on a suspicious undertone.

I sighed inwardly. This man was probably one of a handful of people that actually didn't know me and wasn't aware that I had been a crystal for the last seven years. I didn't have the time to come up with a convincing lie, so just telling him the truth would have to suffice.

"That's because I've been in crystal stasis for the past seven years. I was a Sergeant in the Bodhum Security Regiment," I stated matter-of-factly.

His eyes widened and his dark brows furrowed all at the same time, making me wish I hadn't told him the truth after all. I could already hear the plethora of questions that he wanted to ask me. "Oh, so you were one of those l'Cie then? I think I remember you now." The corners of his eyes crinkled as he examined my face a little more carefully.

"Yes," I replied, swallowing nervously as my throat constricted. The way he was looking at me was unsettling. I realized a little too late that I probably shouldn't have told him the truth. This man could be anybody. He could have been one of the people that hated and feared anything of Pulse origin. I ground my teeth together as I prepared myself for a negative reaction on his part.

"Huh," he responded, one corner of his mouth curling upwards. "Welcome back then."

I was so shocked by his words that I didn't quite know how to respond. I definitely hadn't been expecting him to say that. In fact, anything I might have expected to happen was highly unlikely. Now that Cocoon's populace was on Pulse I imagined that their perspective of what was evil and what wasn't had changed drastically. Now that they weren't living under constant fal'Cie supervision, they were free to develop their own opinions. That conclusion had effectively eased my thoughts. Somewhere in the back of my mind I was worried that it wouldn't be as easy for me to adjust to living in this new world because of my past as a l'Cie. Even though my sister had alleviated most of my fears, a few had still remained.

I diverted my attention back to Serah's cell phone, continuing to explore all of its functions for the remainder of the ride. The driver didn't speak again, even though I wouldn't have minded if he chose to strike up another conversation with me.

I didn't even notice when the hover cab came to a halt outside GC Headquarters until the driver spoke up. "Alright, since you're a member of the GC, I'll give you a break on the fare. Give me twenty-five gil and we'll call it even."

I glanced at the small computer screen on the dashboard that calculated the distance and the amount of the fare while I procured a stack of bills out of my leg pouch. I would have been happy to pay the fifty-four gil amount, but I wasn't about to argue with the man. I handed the driver the gil then swiftly stepped out of the cab, placing my sister's phone in my pouch and zipping it back up. I stood there on the sidewalk and stared at the stark white GC building for a few moments before approaching the guard shack.

A young man in a GC uniform was standing near a chain link fence, and as I got closer I saw a second sitting inside the shack behind a small desk. I nodded once in greeting to him and he nodded back. "How can I help you?" he asked, his eyes dancing between my shoulder pauldron and my face.

"I'm Sergeant Farron. I've come to report to Colonel Amodar."

His eyes bugged out of his skull when he heard my last name. "F-Farron? Lightning Farron?" I simply nodded, knowing that saying anything wasn't mandatory. The young soldier started stammering and tripping over his words, solidifying the fact that I was indeed some kind of celebrity. I closed my eyes and rolled them, crossing my arms stiffly over my chest as I waited for him to form a coherent sentence.

_And just when I was thinking I'd get treated semi normally here of all places…_

"Crowley, get on the radio! Tell the Colonel I'm on my way to his office with someone important! Do it!"

The soldier named Crowley stood and rushed over to the far wall, grabbing an ear piece that was hanging near a sophisticated looking computer panel. I followed the soldier whose name I had yet to learn through the gate and into the base. I had half a mind to talk with him if only to find out who he was, but I realized that whether or not I knew his name was irrelevant. I was here to see Amodar, not become buddies with half the soldiers on the base.

After only a few minutes of leading me through the empty halls of an administrative building, he slowed his pace so that he was right beside me. I glanced over only to find him staring at me, his eyes still wide with shock.

"I'm sorry for not introducing myself earlier. The name's Corporal Eckhart." He extended his hand and I curtly shook it once. "There were so many people that thought you were never going to come out of crystal stasis. When did you wake up?"

"Just yesterday," I answered, looking at him briefly out of the corner of my eye.

Now that he was talking to me I felt a kind of aversion to him and I couldn't figure out why. I tried putting a reason to my feelings, but the only thing that came to mind was the fact that I was about to come face to face with my commanding officer for the first time since the Bodhum Fireworks Festival, back before I had been turned into a l'Cie. Saying I was nervous was just a little bit of an understatement.

I had lost track of where we had been going when he began speaking to me, so after we took a right turn down a nondescript hallway I had to admit that I was lost. Eckhart stopped unexpectedly, catching me off guard. "The Colonel's office is right at the end of this hallway. I have to get back to my post. It was nice to meet you."

"Thank you," I replied, nodding my head at him. He wasted no time in going back the way he came, quickly disappearing into the maze of monotonous hallways.

My walk down the hall toward Amodar's office felt much longer than it actually was. As I got closer I felt a flare of excitement wash over me. If Amodar was anything like how I remembered him, then I knew exactly how my reunion with him was going to go. I couldn't very well say that about what would happen when I saw Hope again. My relationship with Amodar was strictly professional, and that would never change. My relationship with Hope was more complicated than that, which was why I had no idea what to expect when it came time for us to reunite. I sighed in relief as I wrapped my hand around the cold metal of the doorknob leading into Amodar's office. This small slice of normalcy was exactly what I needed to carry me through the rest of the day.

The first thing I saw when I entered the office was the colonel pacing back and forth behind his desk, a troubled expression on his face. After my initial examination of him, I realized the driver of the hover cab had been right – the uniforms were indeed different, but not by much. Instead of the brown, cream and white colored leather that had been the norm, Amodar's uniform was almost completely black. Silver stripes adorned the shoulders, arms and torso and even his shoulder pauldron was different. I discovered I liked the look of this new uniform much better.

The opening of the door caught his attention and he looked up, freezing when he saw me standing in the doorway. Surprise flashed through his dark brown eyes before being replaced with understanding. One corner of his mouth curled upward as he casually walked around his desk with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Well, if it isn't Lightning Farron. I had a feeling you were going to show up again someday." He saluted first, which caught me off guard. He was an officer as well as my superior, so I would have been the one to salute first. I quickly saluted back, figuring there was a reason behind his going against policy.

"Please, have a seat." He pointed to a plush chair as he walked back to the other side of his desk and sat down. "What brings you here today?"

"I'd like to come back to work."

His smirk grew wider and he chuckled, his warm eyes shining with mirth. "I can read you like a book, Farron. Why am I not surprised?" He leaned back in his chair and laced his hands behind his head. "How long have you been back?" he asked casually, like I had been gone on an extended leave of absence.

"Since yesterday," I answered, keeping my answers short and simple. I didn't need to explain myself to Amodar.

"You've been asleep for seven years and you don't even want to take a little break?" When I remained silent, he laughed a little more. "You've always been an exceptional soldier, Farron. I'd be stupid if I denied your request." He paused and gazed at my face, narrowing his eyes until they were nothing more than tiny slits. "You were a Sergeant back in Bodhum, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then I'll make a deal with you. I promote you to First Lieutenant and you take a week to relax. How does that sound?"

I blanched at him, unable to keep the shock over his words from sliding onto my face. I seriously started to think that I was still in crystal stasis. Since I had only been an enlisted soldier back on Cocoon, making the jump to officer was a huge deal and something that I hadn't thought to prepare myself for. Earning the rank of First Lieutenant would have taken me an additional year to a year and half if I had never been branded as a Pulse l'Cie, and that was if I had been accepted into an officer candidate program. I swallowed the lump that had settled in my throat, unsure of how to respond.

"I feel honored, sir. Honestly… I don't really know what to say," I stammered, my voice quaking.

"Say that you'll take it," Amodar said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the surface of his desk, leveling me with an intense stare.

My answer was immediate. "I accept, then. Thank you, sir."

"No thanks needed, Farron," he replied as he rose from his chair. "You're a damn fine soldier and you deserve it. You actually woke up at the perfect time. I've been looking to give someone a promotion for the past couple weeks, and now that you're back, my decision is obvious. You're to report back here next Wednesday at thirteen hundred hours to begin your officer training. I'll have your new uniforms and shoulder pauldrons ready for you. Understood?"

I got up as well and saluted. "Yes, sir. I'll see you then."

He smiled and bowed his head. I took that as a dismissal and promptly left his office. Once I was back in the hall, I breathed in deeply through my mouth and slowly out my nose in an attempt to calm my racing heart. As I made my way out of the base, I didn't fight the smile that spread across my mouth. That meeting had gone much better than I could have imagined.

I wasted no time in calling Snow's number once I left the base. Serah would be overjoyed to learn about my promotion as well as the week that I had off. I had a feeling that she was going to jam pack the next seven days with as many off the wall activities as she possibly could, which was something I wasn't immensely thrilled about, but was willing to put up with anyway. Actually, I was so relieved to be out of crystal stasis that I was willing to put up with just about anything if it would make Serah happy.

I took another deep breath as I scrolled through the contacts list to Snow's name and dialed. It only rang three times before my brawny brother-in-law answered. "Done already, huh?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes even though he couldn't see me. "Obviously. Where should I meet you?"

"Actually we're – oh wait, Serah wants to talk to you."

Only a few seconds passed before my sister's voice came through the other end of the line. "Hey Sis, we've got a little bit of a situation on our hands." I immediately detected a hint of worry in her voice and my brows pinched together in worry.

"What happened?" All the possibilities of the worst case scenarios began running through my head and my stomach twisted into an uncomfortable knot. Telling her about my promotion had just fallen to the wayside.

"We can't find Dajh," Serah said hesitantly. "He asked to go to a video game store down the street from where we were, and when we went to get him he wasn't there. We're only about a ten minute walk from GC Headquarters. Could you walk around and help us look for him, please? Sazh is starting to get really worried."

I huffed in frustration as I began walking up the street, not really caring if I was going the right way or not. "The kid doesn't have a cell phone or something?" I asked, scanning the streets for Dajh's little afro. I was just a tad irritated and I wasn't scared to show it.

Serah chuckled nervously. "He has one, but Sazh kind of took it away yesterday. Ironic, right?"

I stopped and propped my free hand up on my hip, staring down at the pavement with astonishment. "Just a little." I sighed and rubbed my eyes, my irritation bubbling in the back of my throat. "Alright, I'll keep an eye out for him. If I find him, I'll let you know."

"Thank you so much, Claire, really! I'll talk to you later."

I ended the call and slid Serah's phone back in my pouch, my aggravation threatening to get the best of me. I flexed my hands into tight fists as I began walking down the street, wondering what else could possibly go wrong today. I was a soldier, and I was used to having a structured schedule to follow. Nothing about today had gone according to plan and it was only getting worse.

_What's going to happen next?_ I thought to myself with ire.

I paused at a four way stop, looking back and forth between the three streets that I could choose from. After only a few seconds, I decided to keep going straight for another block or two. That decision, in the end, paid off. I stumbled upon an immense park two blocks up and one block left. I'm not sure why, but something in the back of my mind told me that I should start there.

The closer I got to the park the more people I saw, and inspiration suddenly struck me like a sign from the heavens. I pulled my sister's cell phone from my pouch, not bothering to stop walking, and browsed through her pictures, praying that she had a recent picture of Dajh somewhere in there. Finding Sazh's teenage son would be much easier if I could ask a few of the park patrons if they'd seen him. I heaved a loud sigh of relief when I found one. Finally, things were looking up.

I figured starting with a few of the children would be the most logical first step. Most kids noticed things that a lot of adults didn't, so I was banking on one of them seeing Dajh. I was hoping that the kids wouldn't be afraid to talk to me and that their parents wouldn't think I was some sort of weirdo. I kept Serah's cell phone gripped tightly in my hand as I entered the park with Dajh's picture ready.

I was only walking for about a minute before I found an extravagant play area in a clearing filled with dozens of children. All the parents were sitting on benches around the perimeter, and the prospect of talking to a few of the kids seemed rather dim. I looked to the right, spying three women sitting at a picnic table conversing with one another. I decided, in the end, to start my search for Dajh with them.

"Excuse me," I began when I stopped next to the table. The three women turned toward me and smiled, no hint of recognition to be seen in their expressions. "Good afternoon, I'm Sergeant Farron of the Guardian Corps. Have any of you seen this boy?" I handed the phone to the nearest woman and waited as all three of them examined the picture.

One of the women, a small brunette, looked up at me with a suspicious look on her face. My eyebrows twitched as she analyzed my face like I wasn't telling the truth about who I was. "Why are you looking for him?" she asked as her dark eyes narrowed.

"His father is a personal friend of mine. We came here to visit some friends and got separated on our way there." I was hoping that my vague explanation would be enough for the skeptical woman. My military ID still showed that I was a Bodhum Security Officer. If she asked to see it I was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

"I saw him," she answered after a few tense moments. She handed Serah's cell phone back to me and I found myself breathing another sigh of relief. "He was right over there, playing with a few of the other children." She pointed to a group of older-looking kids that were tossing a ball around. I would be going to speak with them next. "He left about ten or fifteen minutes ago."

I nodded, keeping my eyes on the group in case they moved elsewhere. "Did you happen to see where he went?"

She shook her head, the light breeze carrying a few strands of her hair in front of her face. "No, I looked away to check on my daughter and when I looked back he was gone," she said as she promptly brushed those errant strands of hair behind her ear.

"Thank you for your time."

I power walked around the play area, approaching the group of adolescents that the woman had pointed out like they were going to blow away like smoke in the wind if I didn't reach them fast enough. The group consisted of three boys and two girls, all looking to be around Dajh's age. I was only a few feet away from them when one of the girl's throws sailed over the head of the boy it had been intended for and I was close enough to pluck it agilely out of the air before it hit the ground.

"Wow, good catch!" the boy announced, jogging over to me.

I tossed the ball back to him. "Thanks," I said, holding my sister's cell phone out to him. "I've been informed that this boy was over here not long ago. Do you know where he went?"

He only looked at the screen for a few seconds then smiled and laughed. "Yeah, I know this kid. He's cool. I met him at a summer camp last year. He took off in that direction," he replied, pointing his finger ahead of him into the tree line. "He didn't even say where he was going. He just took off."

My heart dropped into the pit of my stomach, a feeling of foreboding falling over me as I snatched the cell phone out of his grasp. "Thank you," I said as I turned around and quickly walked away.

The bad feeling that was twisting my insides into a coiled mess got worse with every step and I had no idea why. I was praying to the Goddess that I would find Dajh in one piece. As soon as I entered the trees I began shouting his name as loud as I could, hoping he hadn't gotten too far away. Dajh didn't quite seem like the outdoors type, so the thought of him just wanting to take a leisurely stroll through the forest seemed highly unlikely. I knew then that there must have been a reason for him to leave his friends without telling them where he was going.

I stopped that thought right there as something occurred to me. _Yeah, there must have been a good reason for him to leave that video game store without telling his father, too. I'm noticing a peculiar pattern here,_ I thought, pausing and holding my breath when I was sure I had heard a voice not far in the distance.

"I'm over here!" I hadn't heard Dajh speak very much since my awakening, but I immediately recognized his voice, taking off in the direction that it was coming from.

I jumped over a low shrub and saw him huddled on the ground in front of a large tree, cradling his left arm. The expression on his face was nothing short of pure agony and I had a fairly good idea of what happened.

After reaching his side, I knelt down next to him and gently laid my hand on his shoulder. "Dajh, can you stand up?"

"I don't know," he sobbed, fresh tears leaking from under his eyelids. "My arm really hurts."

"Can you move it?"

He shook his head. "No, it hurts too much. I think I broke it."

"What happened?" I asked as I pulled out the leaves and twigs that had twisted themselves into his afro.

"I was playing ball with my friends when a cat ran past me, so I took off after it. I think I might've scared it because it ran up this tree. I tried to get it down, but right before I reached it one of the branches snapped. There wasn't anything else I could hold onto so I fell," he sobbed, his voice a mere whisper.

"Alright, I'm gonna help you up. Brace yourself." I leaned over him and wedged my right hand under his left side while I hooked my left around his back. After a few calming breaths, I yanked him off the ground as quickly as I could. When he was on his feet his shocked gaze moved from my face, then down to the ground, astonished that I had gotten him up so fast.

"Where's the nearest emergency clinic?" I asked.

"Down the street," he mumbled just loud enough for me to hear. It seemed like he wanted to say more, but he clamped his teeth down on his bottom lip, suddenly finding the ground around his feet intensely interesting. I narrowed my eyes slightly, but thought nothing more of it.

"Alright, before we go anywhere let's get that arm stabilized." I leaned over him again, helping him situate his arm against his chest and gently probed his forearm with my fingertips starting at his wrist. "Let me know where it hurts."

He gasped and turned away from me when I hit a tender spot about an inch from his elbow. "Ow, ow, ow! Right there!" he wailed, his voice breaking.

"Try not to move it."

I straightened and racked my brain for something I could use to immobilize his arm with. I briefly considered using his own shirt, but knew that I would have to cut it off of him if I wanted to use it. My fingers found the smooth edges of my survival knife that was tucked securely in my pouch, but inspiration struck when I saw the edge of my red cape swaying gently in the light wind blowing through the trees. I unclipped it from my back and looped it around Dajh's injured arm, being extremely careful not to jostle it, then tied the red fabric tightly behind his neck. I smirked inwardly as I inspected my makeshift sling. It had been a while since the last time I had done a field dressing, and it honestly wasn't half bad. Dajh looked up at me through a veil of tears, his bottom lip quivering, as he waited for me to make the next move.

"Let's go. Your dad is worried about you." I placed my hand on his shoulder and calmly led him out of the park. I considered scolding him for not telling anyone where he was going, but smartly kept my mouth clamped shut. I would leave that task to his father. I didn't know him well enough to give him that kind of advice.

The entire ten minute walk to the clinic was almost unbearable. Dajh's whimpers of pain at his arm being jostled as he walked was heartbreaking, but there was nothing more that I could do for him. I concentrated on the large red cross hanging above the clinic's door, attempting to shut out the crying teen beside me. I hadn't had to deal with something like this since Serah was his age, and I was no longer accustomed to it.

Both Dajh and I breathed a collective sigh of relief when we walked through the doors of the clinic. The sharp odor of disinfectant and latex that filled the room immediately slapped me in the face, making my eyes water. I fought off the impulse to cover my nose. The waiting area was empty, which I was glad for, but no one was behind the counter. I wondered for a moment if there was even anyone in the back.

"Go sit down, Dajh," I said, directing him to one of the padded chairs. He nodded his head stiffly and sat down, the muscles in his jaw tight. If I looked hard enough I could even see tiny beads of sweat dotting his forehead. The poor kid was in pain and I was hoping whoever worked here hadn't gone on a very early, very impromptu lunch break.

I rang the small silver bell sitting on the counter and leaned over it, craning my neck around to see if anyone was in the office. The back office was empty, and I watched the clock that was hanging on the far wall as I waited for someone to appear. My right foot started to tap the floor as the seconds slowly ticked by, my patience beginning to wear thin. I was getting ready to do something drastic – maybe even yell – when I heard soft footfalls approaching from somewhere to the left.

I huffed impatiently. _Finally! Were they sleeping or something?_

As soon as I saw the silver hair and unmistakable green eyes, it felt like the floor fell out from underneath me and I was left suspended in midair. My jaw unhinged and sagged open at the sight of his matured face. The crystal clear memory of his fourteen year old visage kept flying up in front of my eyes no matter how hard I tried to keep it away. Hope was here – _now_ – and I was nowhere near ready for it.

That whole exchange in my mind had taken place over only a second or two. He hadn't noticed me yet. "Sorry about that. I was busy in the back. How – "

His voice was effectively cut off when our eyes met and his face took on an expression eerily similar to mine. We both stood there frozen in place for what seemed like hours. I completely lost all track of time as I stood there in a stupor. When he finally moved, he brought a shaking hand up to cover his mouth to hide the fact that the muscles in his face were quaking underneath his skin. Everything that I had wanted to say to him disappeared out of my mind like water from a sieve. I knew that I had to say something to break us out of the trance we were locked in, but I had no idea where to start.

Hope moved his hand away from his mouth and looked like he didn't know what to do with the appendage. He shook it around like he had just received a nasty shock then placed it on his hip, gripping the waist band of his white scrubs pants with a grip so tight I could see his knuckles turn bone white from where I was standing.

"Light?" If my eyes had been closed I would have never guessed that he had just spoken. His voice was so different that hardly any trace of what it used to sound like remained. My breath caught in my throat suddenly, and I found it hard to keep my lungs working. It almost felt like those last few seconds of swimming underwater before breaking the surface and filling your lungs with that first, glorious breath of air.

Right then, in that moment, was when I started fervently thanking the powers that be that I wasn't sleeping anymore.


	4. Chapter 3: When the Bough Breaks

**Author's Note:**

Holy crow guys... I am absolutely blown away and humbled by the outpouring of support for this story. When I started writing this beast I never thought it would be this successful, so thank you. I appreciate everyone that's read and reviewed, favorited and alerted my fic. None of you will know how much I appreciate it.

And I feel horrible that I can't send my anonymous reviewers personal thank yous. I've recieved a lot of anon reviews and am especially grateful for those, so thank you to everyone that leaves me anonymous reviews! I'd like to take a moment to point out one anonymous review I received from an individual named **Tina**. Whoever you are, I'm so grateful you clicked on my story as well! That review of yours brought me to tears, seriously. I've never gotten a review like that before, so thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm happy beyond comparison that my story is being enjoyed by so many people. I'm overflowing with gratitude right now.

As always, I'd like to give a shout out to my amazing, smart and wonderful beta, **H-thar**. Her knowledge and insight has helped this story become what it is and I'll be forever in her debt!

So, I know I threw a huge curveball at the end of that last chapter, but Hope makes his grand appearance! And a few questions a few of you asked will be answered this chapter as well. I hope all of you enjoy it!

* * *

Chapter 3

When the Bough Breaks

* * *

"Hope…"

My breath rapidly escaped from my lungs as though the air had been sucked right out of them, and my vision swam, darkening slightly around the edges, before my body remembered how to breathe. The sound of my voice was so foreign that it took me a few moments to realize that I was the one that had spoken, and I was stunned that I had been able to say anything at all, especially after my profound surprise over seeing him had nearly paralyzed my vocal chords. My knees suddenly felt weak, pathetically enough, and I gripped the counter top in front of me so hard that I half expected to see indentations in the wood when I took my hands away. I was literally on the verge of collapse and I could only hope the ground wasn't too hard if my legs ended up failing me.

Without warning, a pair of arms wrapped tightly around me and hoisted me a couple of inches off of the floor. I gasped in fright and tried to wriggle away, but as soon as I spotted Hope's silver hair in my peripheral vision, I froze. How had he managed to get over to me so fast? The silence around us was deafening – I could hear my heart beating like a bass drum in my ears as it pounded relentlessly against the inside of my ribcage, and for a moment I wondered if he was able to feel it.

I sucked in an involuntary breath and everything that was _Hope_ was an assault on my senses, from the faint aroma of his cologne to the distinct scent of disinfectant that was overlapping it. His heavy, erratic breathing breezed past my ear, blowing through my hair, and I guessed that he was having just as much trouble with this reunion as I was. As his arms constricted around me even further, I was momentarily taken off guard by how strong he was. The memory of teaching him how to use a gunblade in the middle of the rainy Pulse wilderness slowly replayed in my mind and I knew that he would be able to handle one with far less difficulty now.

When my feet finally hit the floor again my knees almost buckled, and Hope's grip on me tightened reflexively as I struggled to my regain my balance. He backed away, holding me at arm's length, and my breath caught in my throat as my eyes locked on his. He was closer now, so I could see practically everything that had changed about his face. It was leaner, that much was obvious. Both his chin and cheekbones were much more prominent. His hair was shorter than I remembered, but only just. His eyes were the only constant. My mind kept wanting to see him as a fourteen year old child, which was something I would have to get used to until I got acclimated to his appearance now. I just hoped I wouldn't make an ass out of myself in the meantime.

When he slowly peeled his fingers off of my upper arms and returned his hands to his sides, it was like a spell had suddenly been broken. My body reanimated and automatically moved to go sit down next to Dajh. Once I had settled into the lumpy waiting room chair, I risked a glance at the young teen and found him smiling at me like a fool. A lead weight dropped into my stomach as I drew my own conclusions.

"You knew about this." There was no need for me to phrase that statement as a question; the answer was obvious.

He nodded, that sly smile still plastered on his face. "Yep," he announced proudly.

I chuckled once as I leaned my head back and rubbed my throbbing eyes. I didn't think this situation was funny in the least, but I had to mock the irony of it somehow. When I felt Hope sit down next to me I nearly jumped out of my skin. I was definitely glad that he wasn't a figment of my imagination, but another part of me was still wishing I would have had more time to prepare myself before seeing him again. I removed my hand from my face and reluctantly looked over at him.

"When?" he asked simply.

"Yesterday," I answered evenly. It didn't take any guessing on my part to figure out what he meant.

"Holy shit," he whispered, leaning forward and running his fingers through his hair. I frowned, surprised at his colorful word choice.

"Well, in that case, I'm pretty sure your sister has already told you everything." He paused and looked back up at me, his green eyes burning holes into mine. The corners of my eyes twitched as I considered what he'd said, a small part of me assuming I knew what he meant, but not wanting to admit it.

"I was supposed to go visit you yesterday, but I got called in to work," Hope mumbled.

That lead weight in my stomach suddenly became twenty times heavier as his words confirmed my suspicions. I imagined just for a moment that his plans for visiting me the other day hadn't fallen through. Would he have been there when I came out of crystal stasis? I saw the face of the first man that discovered me and tried to put Hope in his position. Seeing him then and there, with no expectations, would have been much less awkward.

_Less awkward, yes. But the shock probably would have given me a heart attack._

I shook my head to clear it and gripped the arm rest, remembering the original reason I'd come to the clinic. "Getting back on track," I began, my voice still unsteady. "Dajh broke his arm."

Hope's gaze shifted from me to Sazh's young son and his eyes widened like he hadn't even noticed him. "What happened?" he asked as he moved around me to examine Dajh's arm.

"I fell out of a tree chasing after a cat," he answered, allowing Hope to partially remove my makeshift sling from his injured arm. "The mangy thing got herself stuck, and I didn't feel right just leaving her there."

"You're such an animal lover, Dajh," Hope said, smiling, and he was suddenly fourteen years old in my mind again. I couldn't quite believe how one simple action on his part could do something like that. I had always thought his smile had a kind of innocent charm, but now I didn't quite know what to think about it. It was like I was looking into the face of a stranger.

I was snapped back to attention when I heard Dajh gasp and start to cry as Hope hit the same spot near his elbow that I had earlier. "Whoops, there it is," Hope announced, chuckling nervously. "Alright, come with me. I'll get you set up for an x-ray so I can see exactly what's wrong." He helped Dajh stand up and looked down as he was about to walk past me. "You're welcome to come back with us."

I rose shakily from my seat and was about to follow Hope and Dajh when I realized I had yet to call my sister. I looked over at him as I pulled Serah's phone from my leg pouch. "I need to make a phone call," I said. "I'll join you in a few minutes."

"No problem," he replied, smiling at me again before disappearing behind the door.

I sighed heavily and slowly trudged towards the front window of the clinic, dialing Snow's number. It only rang twice before my sister answered.

"Did you find him?" she asked immediately, sounding frantic.

"Yes." I paused, unsure of how to continue without causing her to completely freak out.

She was silent for a couple breaths before taking a breath to speak again. "Why do I feel like there's more you aren't telling me?" she asked, her tone becoming serious.

I figured that telling her straight out was a better course of action than giving her the run around, I quickly blurted, "He fell out of a tree and broke his arm."

"Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed, her voice rising dangerously high. "Where was he? Did you bring him to the hospital?"

"He found a few friends at the park and ended up chasing a cat up a tree. I brought him to a clinic about a block away," I said, rubbing my eyes tenderly. I had a feeling Serah knew that Hope worked here, but I wanted to see if she was going to say anything about it.

"Oh," she breathed, dragging that word out as she exhaled.

When her continued silence started to become awkward, I decided to be the one to break it. "I already saw Hope."

Serah was quiet for a few more seconds before taking a deep breath. "How did it go?" she asked. I could tell she was choosing her words carefully.

I paused while I thought of the correct way to describe the impact of that first moment after he had come around the corner. 'World-shattering' was a more than sufficient description, but I wasn't going to tell my sister that.

"Better than I thought. I think both of us handled it well, under the circumstances. I've had enough surprises for one day, though," I said, staring out the window but not looking at anything particular.

Serah was quiet again, but this time it didn't feel so awkward. If I closed my eyes and concentrated really hard I could almost feel her standing beside me, which was oddly comforting.

"You're going to be thankful for this chance encounter later," she said softly. "If you would have seen him again with his father and the rest of us standing around to witness it, you wouldn't have enjoyed it. Even though I feel horrible that Dajh had to get hurt for this to happen, I think everything turned out for the best. Just…don't tell Sazh I said that."

I felt the corners of my mouth pull up, grateful that I had her to confide in. "Thanks, Serah," I said, taking in a deep, calming breath through my nose. "Are you going to meet us over here?"

"Yes. I have to let Sazh know what happened, then we'll be on our way. Wish me luck – I'm going to need it."

I said good-bye to my sister for the time being and glanced over my shoulder at the door leading into the back of the clinic. I sighed, my shoulders sagging a small amount. I really did want to go join them, but a mild reluctance threatened to hold me in place. I couldn't explain why I was feeling that way, and I was unsettled by the fact that I couldn't put a logical reason behind it.

Still, I forced my feet to carry me across the waiting room and through the door. As soon as I entered the white-washed hallway I realized that I had no idea where Hope had taken Dajh. He'd mentioned he would be giving the teen an x-ray, but that really wasn't much to go on.

Mere seconds later, as I was passing by a supposedly empty examination room, Hope suddenly materialized in the doorway and slammed into my shoulder. Taken completely off guard, I stumbled across the hall and hit my opposite shoulder on the wall. I only had enough time to hiss as a flash of pain sizzled down my arm to my fingertips before Hope was falling all over himself to apologize.

"Maker, Light!" he exclaimed, wrapping his hand around my upper arm to help steady me. "I wasn't expecting you to come back so quick. I'm so sorry!"

I turned toward him, a half-hearted grimace invading my expression, as I glanced down at his hand like it was a foreign object. He hastily removed it and tucked it into his pocket.

"Don't worry about it," I replied, rubbing my sore shoulder and pretending to straighten my uniform just to keep my hands occupied. "I called my sister. She's on her way with the others."

"Leave it to Serah to orchestrate a reunion less than twenty-four hours after you woke up," he said, smiling playfully and rolling his eyes. He continued walking down the hall and I quickly fell in step beside him, shocked for only a moment that I no longer needed to slow down my pace to accommodate him.

I couldn't help but smile at his comment. It sounded like he knew my sister just about as well as I did.

"She wouldn't even tell me what you've been doing the past few years. She said she didn't want to steal your thunder," I said, quoting what she had told me the previous night verbatim.

Hope's expression was nothing short of flabbergasted. I had never seen his face look like that before. "Did she really?" he asked, staring at me with wide eyes and his mouth slightly agape. When I nodded, it seemed like he didn't quite believe me. "Wow, she kept her promise," he mumbled just loud enough for me to hear.

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Right around the time I started school to be in the medical field, I made her promise me that she wouldn't tell you about anything I've been doing. I already knew that she'd be the first one to see you awake since your crystal was in Oerba. I just thought she would be so excited that you were finally out of crystal stasis, she wouldn't be able to stay silent," he said, his voice wavering slightly.

"Serah's always kept her promises. I consider myself lucky to be her sister," I said, following him into the x-ray room where Dajh was patiently waiting. He smiled at us as we approached him.

"Alright, Dajh," Hope said, going to stand beside him. "I've got your x-rays developing, so it won't be much longer until they're done. I'm just going to move you an examination room for right now."

The boy nodded as Hope helped him off the x-ray table, still cradling his injured arm closely to his chest with my cape. "Um, Hope?" he mumbled, his words slurring slightly. "I think that pain pill you gave me is starting to work."

"Oh, good," Hope replied, holding onto Dajh as he directed him down the hallway.

After helping him lie down on a table in one of the exam rooms, I followed Hope back the way we had come and stopped when he paused in front of a dark room that had the door shut.

"They should be about done," Hope said, lifting his wrist to look at his watch. I frowned as I stared at the small device, not used to seeing him wear something like that. "I'll wait a few more minutes just to be sure."

I nodded as I leaned up against the wall and propped my right foot up on the smooth surface. Loosely folding my arms over my stomach, I turned to look at Hope. "So… What made you decide to go into the medical field?"

He came to stand beside me, his shoulder lightly brushing mine as he scooted down the wall to bring himself to my level. "I figured that since I was a medic more often than anything else while I was a l'Cie, I ought to try my hand at modern medicine. I'd like to think I'm doing a pretty good job so far."

I met his gaze and narrowed my eyes slightly. He grinned and copied my expression, causing one corner of my mouth to curl up.

"You know, Hope, using magic and practicing medicine are two totally different things."

He shot me a sardonic look and rolled his eyes. "Now you sound like my father," he said, the slightest bit of disappointment creeping into his tone.

"If it makes you feel any better, I always thought you were the best magic user we had," I said, wondering what on Pulse had possessed me to tell him that.

His silver eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Seriously?" he asked, sounding genuinely shocked by that information.

I nodded. "Why do you think I always had you on my team?" I countered.

He chuckled. "Yeah, that's true. Should've figured that one out," he replied, glancing down at his watch again and clearing his throat. "Alright, better check on those x-rays."

Hope stepped inside the small dark room and I waited for him to come back out, staring at a bulletin board that was on the opposite wall. I wasn't paying attention to the flyers that were posted on it, and, even if I had been interested, I wouldn't have been able to make much sense out of them anyway. My head was still abuzz with everything that had happened today. Seeing Hope had been the final push to send my surprise-o-meter over the limit.

I jumped when Serah's phone began blaring a song that I didn't recognize, breaking the silence that I had thoroughly been enjoying. I quickly dug it out of my pouch and answered it right as Hope was coming out of the dark room with the x-rays in hand.

"Hello?" I answered, wondering what could have possibly gone wrong now.

"Hey, Sis!" Serah announced, sounding fine, much to my relief. "Are you in the back with Dajh?"

"Yeah," I replied, falling in step behind Hope as he strode back toward the room Dajh was in. "Hope's looking at his x-rays right now."

"Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes then."

"Alright," I responded, hanging up.

Dajh turned to us with half-lidded eyes as we came in, smiling meekly at me. He looked about ready to fall asleep, and I figured the pain medication Hope had given him was responsible for that. I went to sit in the chair next to him and watched as Hope examined Dajh's x-rays on a small lighted screen that was mounted on the wall.

"Hmm," Hope hummed as he scanned the image, then nodded, tapping the screen where the break was located. "Yep, hairline fracture of the radius."

Mere moments later, Sazh came bounding through the door, breathing heavily and looking like he had run the entire way here. "Dajh!" he exclaimed, skidding to a halt beside the table.

The teen's hazy eyes widened when he saw his father's terrified expression. "Hi, Dad," he muttered, smiling sheepishly.

"I can't believe you wandered off without tellin' me! You have no idea how much trouble you're in! Just wait till we get home! You'll be wishin' you broke more than your arm!" Sazh bellowed, throwing his hands into the air as he ranted.

I rolled my eyes at his overemotional display, rising from my seat and aggressively latching onto his shoulder. "You should be glad something much worse didn't happen. A broken arm is nothing," I said, glaring at him unwaveringly as he turned to look at me, anger and surprise vying for dominance on his face. I felt my sister's hand wrap around my wrist and gently tug on it. I quickly removed my hand from Sazh's shoulder and gladly went with Serah into the hallway.

"Go easy on him, Claire. He's been worried sick all day," she said once we were alone.

"Sorry," I replied, falling against the wall and rubbing my eyes. "Today has just been…stressful."

A mischievous grin curled her lips up as she came to stand beside me. "So tell me," she began, craning her head towards mine. "Did any of the pictures in my scrap books do him justice?"

I sighed heavily and glanced sideways at the door leading to the exam room. "No, not at all," I answered, keeping my voice low. "The fact that I had no idea he worked here only made it worse. I wasn't ready, and I'm sure it showed."

"Just don't forget what I told you earlier," she said, nudging her shoulder into mine. "You gonna be okay?"

I nodded and fought off the impulse to massage my temples. "Yeah, but this is one of those rare occasions where alcohol might be required," I replied, sending her the best half smile I could muster. When my eyes met hers, I suddenly remembered that I'd had no chance to tell her about my other big surprise, courtesy of my meeting with Amodar. "By the way, I got a promotion."

The rather abrupt change of subject left my sister staring at me dumbfounded for a few moments before she realized what I was talking about. "Oh my goodness! Congratulations!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around my neck and squeezing me tightly.

My smile widened as I hugged her back, reveling in the feel of such a simple gesture. The memories of my twenty-first birthday were still fresh in my mind, and I knew waiting seven years to attain some peace of mind on Serah's part must have been torturous. She patted my back softly a few times before backing away.

"So when do you start?" she asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Amodar gave me a full week off before my officer training."

As soon as the word 'week' left my mouth, Serah's eyes grew to nearly encompass her entire face. My shoulders deflated once I saw the little cogs and wheels in her head turning. I already knew I wasn't going to like what she was planning.

"What's your rank now?" she asked, staying on topic even though I could tell her mind was still at work.

"First Lieutenant," I replied, trying to keep my own mind off of what my sister could possibly be thinking about.

"That's wonderful, Claire! I'm so happy for you! I should get Bartholomew's number from Hope so I can ask him if it's okay for all of us to have dinner together tonight," she said, settling back against the wall beside me. "We can celebrate your promotion."

I rolled my eyes at the thought of having everyone's attention solely on me. "Serah, you really don't – "

"Don't argue with me, Claire," she said, cutting me off. The commanding tone in her voice made my grin return because it reminded me of myself. "It's just dinner with your family and closest friends. I'm not asking you to do anything extra."

"Alright," I replied, smiling at her insistence. My sister was the only other person that could rival my level of stubbornness, which wasn't always a good thing.

"Excellent," she said, a triumphant grin decorating her face. "You can tell me what you want to eat when we go shopping later."

I nodded as I looked down the opposite side of the hallway that led to the waiting room, a strange thought occurring to me. "Where are Snow and Aven?" I asked, turning back to Serah with a questioning expression.

"Oh, entertaining each other in the lobby. A curious little girl like her doesn't need to be wandering around back here with all the shiny medical equipment," she answered, a whimsical smile pulling her mouth up as she followed my gaze down the hall. Moments later, though, her smile disappeared and she sighed heavily. "I'm sorry you had to miss so much, Sis."

I shook my head. "What's done is done. It's not your fault, so don't beat yourself up over it."

"Right," she said, her smile returning and succeeding in lighting up her eyes as well. She quickly peeked into the room where Sazh, Hope and Dajh were before pushing away from the wall. "Hope is going to be busy for a while, so let's go wait with Snow and Aven."

I nodded as I followed her back toward the waiting room, glancing briefly over my shoulder at the doorway we had just been standing beside. The ridiculous notion that Hope was going to vanish in a puff of smoke managed to bother me for about five seconds before I was able to shove it into the farthest corner of my mind. Irrationality wasn't something I was accustomed to experiencing.

I heard Aven's laughter as we made our way down the hall, and Serah chuckled, turning to look at me as she wrapped her hand around the doorknob leading to the waiting room. "Sounds like they're enjoying themselves. I hate to ruin it," she joked, pushing the door open.

Snow waved at us from the farthest corner of the waiting room, and as we got closer, I noticed for the first time that there was a small play area equipped with everything to keep a child thoroughly entertained for hours. Aven followed her father's gaze and dashed towards Serah as soon as she saw her.

"Mommy! Mommy!" she called, throwing her skinny arms around her mother's legs. "Daddy was doin' his funny voices 'gain."

"Oh, really?" Serah said, hefting her small daughter into her arms.

"Uh huh. I wike da books dey haff," Aven replied, running her fingers through her mother's hair.

"Well, don't let me spoil your fun then," my sister replied, setting her back on the floor.

Aven immediately scampered back to Snow, who was sitting on the floor surrounded by a plethora of toys and books, and plopped back into his lap. The large martial artist gladly picked up another book and began reading it to her. Serah and I sat down not too far away to watch their exchange as well as wait for Hope to finish patching Dajh up.

I crossed both my arms and my legs while I watched Snow read to Aven, unable to stop the smile that spread across my face at the sight of how content and happy Aven was sitting in her father's lap. Snow might have irritated the hell out of me in the past, but even I couldn't deny that he had done a phenomenal job of taking care of my sister. He had definitely done what he said he was going to while we had been l'Cie. There was no doubt about that.

It took roughly another half hour until Hope, Sazh and Dajh emerged from the back. Dajh was sporting a blue plaster cast and still looked like he was in some pain, if the way he was still cradling his arm in front of his chest and the strained expression on his face was anything to go by. Serah got up to go meet them, but I stayed planted in my chair, figuring they would be coming back toward me anyway. Sazh, Hope and my sister hung back while Dajh walked over, his steps careful and precise. He collapsed into the chair beside me and hung his head.

"I'm so sorry if I made you mad, Lightning," he muttered. I looked up at Sazh and smirked at him, knowing that the aged pilot had made his son come over and apologize.

"It's okay. At least you weren't hurt too seriously. That's the important thing," I said, patting him gently on the shoulder a couple of times.

When I looked back up, Serah caught my attention and waved me over. I sighed under my breath, not really in the mood to do any more standing. When I joined them, Hope was telling Sazh about some pain medication that he had prescribed for Dajh, and I once again felt very strange having to look up at him. Serah softly placed her hand on my forearm and leaned in close to my ear.

"Can I have my phone?" she whispered.

I nodded and extracted it from my pouch, handing it to her without a word. I looked back in Hope's direction while my sister put all her attention on her phone for a few moments, and I leaned away reflexively when I caught him staring at me. My eyebrows twitched as I met his gaze, unable to read the expression on his face. Right when I was getting ready to say something to him, he broke his eyes away from mine and looked towards my sister.

"So, uh…how long are you guys staying?" he asked Serah, glancing at me again briefly.

"That's actually something I wanted to talk to you about," she replied, lowering her phone for a moment.

"Me?" Hope clarified, frowning in confusion.

I noticed Serah looking at me out of the corner of my eye and I could have sworn that she was grinning. "Well, Claire got promoted, so I wanted to get in touch with your father to see if all of us could have dinner tonight."

The confused expression on his face quickly turned into a pleased smile. "Seriously? That's great! Congrats, Light!" he exclaimed, shifting his green gaze to me once more. He shifted his arms uncertainly as though he wanted to reach out and pat my arm, but thought better of it.

I smiled sheepishly. "Thanks," I muttered, loosely folding my arms over my stomach. I didn't quite know what to do with the suddenly useless appendages and felt myself getting frazzled over one simple compliment.

_Pull yourself together!_ my mind screamed at me.

Hope broke his eyes away from mine, finally remembering the other part of what my sister had said to him, and gave her his father's phone number. "Dad and I haven't had any company in a while. Having all of you over for dinner will be a welcome change," Hope said as Serah quickly put the number into her phone.

"I feel so bad for not visiting you guys more. The fact that we live all the way over in Oerba puts a serious damper on how often we can come up. Snow had to beg Yuj to cover his shift today," she said, looking over her shoulder at her husband and daughter before bringing her eyes over to me.

"Have you thought of what you want to eat tonight?"

I sighed and rubbed my face. I hadn't even started thinking about that. I didn't really care what we ate, but I knew she would pester me until I gave her a straight answer. I only hoped I would have enough time to mull it over before we got to the store.

"Not quite," I answered, wishing she wouldn't put even more stress on me that I didn't need.

She nodded, and I was momentarily shocked that she hadn't pushed the issue further. "What time are you getting off work, Hope?" she asked, propping her hands on her hips.

His face scrunched up in concentration as he scratched the back of his neck. "Around five, more than likely. The doctor I'm training under is over at the main hospital performing a few surgeries, so I'll have to wait until he gets back to find out if I can leave early. That doesn't happen very often, though, so I won't hold my breath," he answered, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his scrubs pants.

Serah lifted her hand to her face and tapped her chin with her index finger. "We're gonna have to do some major time killing, Sis," she said, glancing over at me.

I looked over my shoulder at Dajh, knowing that he probably wouldn't want to go gallivanting all over Paddra until Hope got off work. I heard Aven's giggle in the background and figured she would be getting bored soon as well. "What about Dajh and Aven?" I asked Serah, still looking at the young teen behind me.

I heard her hum in thought and turned my head to look at her. "I was just thinking about that," she said, still tapping her chin. She flicked her eyes towards Hope and narrowed them. "Would your dad mind if Sazh and Snow brought the kids over a little early?"

He shook his head. "Probably not. He'd be glad to have some company. He works so much he's forced into taking vacations, which just make him bored, and then he pesters _me_."

"Alright, let me call him then," Serah said, going to stand near the windows while she spoke with Bartholomew.

Sazh, who had been silently listening to our exchange and had calmed down considerably since the last time I saw him, went to sit next to his son, leaving me alone with Hope once more. I briefly entertained the idea of going over with Snow and Aven, but quickly abolished it. I suddenly felt the urge to slap myself for even considering willingly choosing Snow's company over Hope's.

In all honesty, the pervasive awkwardness I was experiencing was the reason I felt the need to run away. Hope was a man now, not a fourteen year old child, and making that connection in my mind was going to take much longer than I anticipated. It almost felt like I would have to walk on eggshells around him, and I hated that. I didn't want to feel like I needed to be careful about everything I said just to avoid sounding idiotic. Our relationship before had been so uncomplicated, and I was having a hard time accepting that it wouldn't be like that ever again.

I crossed my arms over my chest, tightly gripping my upper arms, and accepted in the back of my mind that if I wanted a semi-normal relationship with him, I would have to get to know him all over again. I sighed deeply as I pondered what to say and caught myself carefully choosing my words even though that was the last thing I wanted to do. Glancing up at him through my bangs, I knew that until I adjusted to being seven years behind I had no other choice but to take it one day at a time. Forcing myself to assimilate everything at once would not only be detrimental to me, but everyone close to me as well.

"Hope," I began, taking a slow step toward him. Upon hearing my voice, his head immediately snapped toward me, an expectant look on his face. "I'll have to apologize to you in advance."

He frowned and confusion swirled through his green irises again. "For what?"

"When I went into crystal stasis you were still fourteen, so it might take me a while to get used to the fact that you're…an adult now," I answered, staring up into his eyes honestly.

_Especially since I have to look up at you,_ I added in my head. Not that I would _ever_ admit that to him willingly.

"Well, I figured as much. Serah told me a little about her experience in stasis," he explained, chewing on the inside of his cheek for a moment while he thought. "What was it like?"

I cocked my head slightly, not quite sure I knew how to accurately describe what I had gone through while being in crystal stasis. "It was…magnificent," I replied, at a loss for what else to say. "I know this might sound cliché, but it's one of those things you have to experience yourself to fully understand."

Hope chuckled. "Yeah, I guess that does sound cliché. Your sister said she dreamed about her parents and Snow a lot." He paused, and I could practically see his next question formulating in his mind. "Did you dream about anything interesting?"

I nodded. I could still vaguely remember all the dreams I had even though there had been hundreds of them. "For the most part, I relived dozens of my childhood memories, but the rest were nondescript," I answered. My eyes wandered away from his as I thought about my encounter with Vanille. "And right before I woke up, I saw Vanille."

Hope was deathly silent, and when my eyes finally found their way back to his, he was staring at me like I had just fallen through the roof. "What did she say to you?"

"That it was time to wake up and to say hi to everyone for her," I said, smiling to myself as I replayed my last conversation with her in my head.

"That's what she said to me – us, I mean. The first part at least. Except none of us saw her, we just heard her voice in our heads," he said, an astonished look still on his face.

I frowned and propped my hands on my hips, completely and utterly perplexed. I felt a slight twinge of betrayal, but once it subsided I didn't quite know what to feel. The logical side of my brain kept trying to convince me that there must be an explanation for why I had to spend seven years in crystal stasis while everyone else was able to get on with their lives, but my emotions were quickly starting to take over. I was at a loss, and the only person that could have explained the reason to me was far beyond my reach. I doubted I would see Vanille again.

Serah rejoined us then, and I was forced to push my tormented thoughts to the back of mind.

"What's the verdict?" I asked as she came to a stop beside me.

She smiled, excitement dancing through her eyes, and I suddenly felt foolish for asking. "Bartholomew offered to go buy all the food right now, so I invited him to come to the store with us. I still want to get you your own cell phone, so I told him where we're going to be and he said he would come pick us up."

"Serah, you don't need to buy me a phone," I protested.

"I insist, Claire. You'll need it for work anyway. And if you're going to be stubborn about paying me back, I have a savings account set aside for you in a bank back in Oerba. You can use that if you want," she said, grinning.

I rolled my eyes, but a smile still made its way onto my face. "I should have expected as much."

"Naturally," she said, winking at me and walking off to go talk to her husband and collect her purse. I briefly followed their conversation, not wanting to start another one with Hope just then.

"Bartholomew said he'll wait until you and Sazh get to his house before he leaves to pick us up," Serah told her husband.

"Sounds good to me," Snow replied, getting up off the floor.

Serah was back at my side a few moments later. "Wanna get going?"

"Yes," I answered, probably a little too enthusiastically. I glanced sideways at Hope on my way out of the clinic. "See you tonight."

"Yeah," he said, smiling. "See you later, Light."

* * *

We finally got to Bartholomew's house nearly three hours later, and I was ready to take a nap. The majority of our time had been spent at the store; it had only taken half an hour for Serah to add a phone to her cell plan. Bartholomew had come to pick us up as promised, and the drive to the grocery store was relatively quiet besides the soft music from the hover car's stereo playing in the background.

Once we arrived, I told Serah what I had decided on for dinner – our mother's recipe for stuffed shells – then let her and Bartholomew toss around ideas about what else to have. I utilized that time by transferring phone numbers from my sister's phone into mine and following them through the store as they chattered. We must have made five laps around the place before we finally checked out.

We ended up leaving with everything we needed to make a full blown three course meal. Serah had even bought a huge cake for dessert. I thought she was overdoing it, but of course my words fell on deaf ears.

"You'll thank me later," she said, handing the monster of a cake to me because the cart was full.

I was pretty sure I wouldn't have very much room left for cake once dinner was over, no matter how hungry I felt.

The amount of grocery bags we had to carry into Bartholomew's house was mountainous, and I was sure that I would collapse if I didn't take a break. As soon as I saw the luxurious couch in the living room, though, all my petty concerns flew right out the window. I was so tired that the decorative carpet on the floor would've been just as appealing.

I didn't notice my sister until she began extricating the grocery bags from my hands. "Would you like me to leave you and the couch alone for a while?" she joked, chuckling to herself. "Go ahead and lie down. I'll wake you up when dinner is ready."

"Thanks, Serah," I said, feeling beyond fortunate to have someone as caring as her as my sister.

I was in the process of taking off my gunblade sheath and my boots when Serah returned carrying a thick blanket. I thanked her once more before lying down and settled into the cushions with a contented sigh.


	5. Chapter 4: Too Short a Season

**Author's Note:**

First of all, allow me to apologize for the late update. I'm visiting family in my home state and am having an immense amount of fun, so I completely missed it when update day came and went. As always, thank you to everyone that reads, reviews and favorites this story. I'm grateful for all of the support as well as extremely happy that so many of you are enjoying reading it. I'm looking forward to hearing what all of you think of this chapter!

And thank you to **H-thar**, my brilliant beta, for all your wisdom and insight!

* * *

Chapter 4

Too Short a Season

* * *

Muffled voices pulled me from my glorious, dreamless nap what felt like hours later. I yawned and flopped onto my back, lazily scratching an itch on the crown of my head, and laid there for a few moments just listening. I recognized Snow's exuberant voice easily enough, but didn't feel the need to take an interest in what he was talking about. In fact, I didn't even want to get up. Rolling over and going back to sleep was an appealing thought, but the fact that I hadn't taken a nap since I was eight or nine helped propel me off the couch.

I glanced down at my boots, considering putting them back on, but figured that no one would care if I went around barefoot. Frankly, I wouldn't have cared either way. It was one of those days, and I was hoping Bartholomew had some alcohol. I wasn't one to indulge very often, but I needed something a little stronger than pain reliever to get rid of the dull pounding that was still hammering incessantly behind my eyes.

I followed the voices toward the kitchen, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and staggering down the hall as I went. It wasn't hard for me to everyone find since Snow's booming baritone was impossible to miss. I hid a yawn behind my hand as I casually stepped through the door, spying my sister and the rest of my friends – including Hope – gathered around the island in the center.

Hope was the first one to see me, and when our eyes met, it felt like I had suddenly been shoved into a spotlight. The intensity in which he was staring at me left me shifting uncomfortably, practically begging someone – _anyone_ – else to notice my presence. Thankfully, the moment didn't last long. As soon as he lifted his hand to wave me over, everyone else's attention shifted to me and the conversation died immediately. I flexed my hands by my sides, my eyes flicking restlessly between all the faces turned toward me, and growled under my breath.

"About time you woke up, sleepy head," Serah teased, promptly breaking the tense moment. She plucked a glass full of a clear liquid off the counter and approached, handing it to me with a smile.

I smirked to myself at the contents of the glass while my sister grabbed my arm and directed me toward the group. I took a sip after Serah had positioned me between herself and Hope, sighing in relief when I tasted the familiar warmth of vodka along with a kind of citrus soda. I only hoped there was more where this had come from. I didn't want to overdo it, but I was going to need a few more until my tangled up nerves had any chance of unraveling.

"We didn't think you were going to wake up in time for dinner," Snow joked, bouncing his eyebrows at me.

I glared at him over the rim of my glass. "Oh, so were you planning on waking me up in some obnoxious manner to get a rise out of me?" I asked, taking a large swig from my drink.

Everyone chuckled at my comment and Snow even joined in. "Of _course_ not!" he shot back, rolling his eyes.

I arched my eyebrow dangerously at him, not believing a word he said, and turned my attention to Hope. He was holding a beer and I was momentarily taken aback before I remembered that he was old enough now for that kind of stuff.

"So, when did you get off work?" I asked, taking another long pull from my glass.

"About an hour ago. Oddly enough, after all of you left the clinic, I got slammed with patients," he said, taking a sip from the bottle in his hand. "Horrible timing, really. My concentration was shot."

I chuckled before polishing off what was left in my glass. I hadn't been able to think straight while I was shopping with my sister either, so I could relate with him. "I can imagine," I replied, turning and handing the empty glass to my sister for a refill. She grinned at me before wandering off.

"So, Lightning," Bartholomew said, speaking for the first time since I had come in. "I hear that you've been promoted to officer."

"Yes, sir," I responded, nodding my head. "I start my training next week."

"Well, I believe congratulations are in order," he said, lifting his beer for a toast. I wanted to protest, but I knew he was only being polite.

Serah returned and handed my drink back to me, then gently touched the rim of her glass against mine with a smile. I turned to Hope and did the same with him before taking a drink.

Not half a minute later, a shrill alarm sounded that made everyone around me jolt in surprise. Bartholomew chuckled as he went over to the stove, and I frowned at the appliance like it had suddenly come to life. The stove's timer sounded more like a smoke alarm.

"And that would be our dinner," Bartholomew said, pulling two large pans of stuffed shells out of the oven.

My mouth began watering as soon as the mixed aromas of baked cheese and garlic wafted by my nose, realizing how hungry I was for the first time in hours. Memories of helping my mother prepare this exact dish when I was younger began replaying in my head without warning, and I warmly recalled how I had always enjoyed helped her even though I was never very good at it. Serah had become just as good at cooking, if not better, than our mother had been, and I couldn't wait to taste the shells again.

My sister's face suddenly appeared in my peripheral vision, a concerned expression present in her gaze, and I couldn't stop myself from startling slightly. While I had been staring at the pan of shells lost in thought, our friends had vacated the kitchen. I was surprised that I hadn't even noticed.

"You okay, Sis?" she asked, resting her hand on my forearm.

"Yeah," I replied, trying to send my most believable smile her way. "Just thinking."

She grinned and looped her arm through mine before leading me into the dining room. Mostly everyone was already seated around the grand wooden table, except myself, Serah and Bartholomew. The table was so big that it was able to fit everyone comfortably with enough room left over for a few extras. Bartholomew came in a moment later, carrying a stack of thick cloth napkins.

"I knew I bought this ridiculously large table for something," he joked as he passed napkins out.

Serah laughed softly at Bartholomew's comment, breaking away from my side to go join her husband and daughter, and I spied an empty chair beside Hope. I casually made my way over toward him without making it look like I was in too much of a hurry to get closer. He smiled when he saw me approaching and pulled the chair out for me. The gesture made one corner of my mouth curl upwards as I sat down, placing my glass on the table in front of me.

I shifted my eyes over to him, still smiling just the tiniest bit. "Thank you."

"No problem," he replied, crossing his arms loosely over his chest.

I sighed and leaned into the padded backing of my chair, gazing up at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling. That first drink had done wonders for my headache and I was glad that my temples weren't pounding anymore. I hadn't consumed enough alcohol for me to loosen up all the way, but with Serah mixing my drinks, it wouldn't take much longer until I had a nice buzz going.

"Um, Light?" Hope said, pulling my attention away from the ceiling. "So, uh, are you…excited about being an officer?"

I cocked my head slightly as I considered his question, still looking up at the chandelier. "I don't think 'excited' is the word I would use," I began, narrowing my eyes as I tried to think of a better way to describe the complicated emotions I was feeling. "I guess I'm more apprehensive than anything. I'm going to have more responsibility than before, and I don't know if I'm ready for it yet," I answered, meeting his gaze and shooting him a half-grin.

Being able to carry on a normal, honest conversation with someone besides my sister was refreshing. Even though Hope's incessant whining had gotten on my nerves while we had been l'Cie on the run from the Sanctum, in retrospect, I was glad events had unfolded the way they had. Out of everyone that I had journeyed with, Hope was the only one that I had gotten so close to. And let's face it, me bonding with Snow is akin to a Cie'th becoming an interior decorator. No way in the burning pits of hell would that have ever happened.

Hope nodded, drumming his fingers on the surface of the table for a few silent moments before smiling at me reassuringly. "I think you'll do just fine," he replied as he propped his elbows on the table and stared down at the flatware before him. I was grateful for his encouragement; I was certainly going to need it.

"This almost feels surreal," he continued seconds later, chuckling to himself.

I frowned, confused by the sudden change of subject. "What do you mean?"

He chewed on his bottom lip as he tapped his finger rhythmically on his plate. "When I woke up this morning, the thought that I was going to see you again didn't even cross my mind. If someone had told me that you were awake I would've told them to go kick rocks. I never expected you to walk into the clinic, and after you left, I thought I was in some kind of strange dream. I could _not_ focus," he explained, laughing briefly as he recounted his plight. "I nearly ended up giving an elderly woman a flu vaccination when she came in complaining about a sprained ankle, so then I _really_ couldn't focus and ended up slamming my hand in the door when I went to get her an ankle brace. So, long story short, the afternoon was a mess." He paused and brought his eyes back to mine. "Completely worth it, though."

I smirked and chuckled under my breath as I reached for my glass. The rest of Hope's afternoon had certainly been much worse than mine. I'd choose grocery shopping over that any day. I definitely shared his sentiments, but once again, I would never admit that to him out loud. My pride wouldn't stand for it.

"Thanks. At least I didn't sleep for hundreds of years," I replied, instantly thinking of Fang and Vanille.

Hope nodded, his train of thought more than likely mirroring my own as his eyes clouded over. "Yeah, no kidding."

Our conversation ended then, and I finally noticed how quiet the room had become. I looked to the left to find out what was going on and saw my sister standing beside me, one hand propped on her hip and a whimsical smile stretched across her face. I frowned and instinctively leaned away, not expecting to see her right there.

"What?" I asked, suddenly feeling awkward.

"I was just wondering if you two wanted something to eat," she said, looking down at the matching empty plates in front of Hope and myself.

I glanced behind her, and when I saw that everyone else was already eating, my awkward feeling only worsened. I sunk into the back of my chair and rubbed my temples, wincing as my headache started to come back.

"Serah, you do know you could have told us to go get food," I muttered, pressing my fingers over my eyes.

"I know," she replied. I could tell she was still smiling even though I wasn't looking at her. "It seemed like you were having a nice conversation. I didn't want to interrupt."

I chose to look over at Hope then and frowned at the sight of him staring up at my sister with an oddly intense expression. His jaw was set, the muscles clenched, and his green eyes were hardened into emeralds. He looked so deathly serious, in fact, that I almost didn't want to know why he was looking at her like that. The thought of trying to decipher his expression instantly disappeared from my mind. When his eyes lowered to meet mine, that mask promptly melted off his face, and I was left feeling extremely confused.

"Anyways, um," Serah began awkwardly. "Let me have your plates and I'll get you two some food."

I wordlessly handed off my plate to my sister as I attempted to make sense of what had just transpired. I knew for certain that I would be questioning Serah about it on our way home. Hope had definitely been trying to communicate something to her with just his eyes, and the longer I thought about it, the more curious I became.

I narrowed my eyes as I turned my head to glance at Hope. He was staring down at the table cloth, looking like he was trying to bore a hole into it, and chewing on his bottom lip furiously.

"What was that about?" I asked him as Serah walked away with our plates.

Hope raked his fingers roughly through his hair and straightened. A forced smile was screwed onto his face when he looked back over at me.

"It's nothing," he answered, his voice strained. "Don't worry about it."

My frown deepened, but I nodded nonetheless. I knew that it definitely wasn't nothing, but if he didn't want to tell me the real reason, I wasn't going to push the issue. It wasn't necessarily any of my business in the first place.

Once Serah returned with our plates, I thanked her and eagerly began to eat. Having gone all day on just a bowl of cereal was something I never wanted to do again. I was halfway done with my shells when Aven suddenly climbed into the chair directly across from me, practically screaming my name. I frowned as I looked at her, still chewing on a bite of pasta.

"Auntie Cwaire, I fowgot to ask you! Why did you twit gymwastics?" the little girl inquired, her bright blue eyes wide.

Immediate silence enveloped the dinner table as I stared at Aven with wide, shocked eyes. The sudden appearance of Sazh's voice startled me and automatically turned my head to look at him. "Well, well, solider girl's a bonefide acrobat," he said, laughing. "I guess quittin' didn't slow her down!"

My mouth dropped open before I was able to swallow the food in my mouth, but I managed to retain some of my dignity and keep anything from falling out of it. I looked back at Aven, at a loss for what to do or say, and Snow's loud guffawing reached my ears. I snapped my head in his direction, leveling him with a fiery death glare.

"Snow…" I growled, gripping the edge of the table to prevent myself from jumping up and beating the laughter right out of him.

I shifted my gaze over to my sister, and the expression she was shooting at the back of her husband's head wasn't much different from my own as she rose from her seat to collect her daughter. "Honey, you could have waited until after dinner," she said, frowning disapprovingly at the small girl.

"But Daddy said – " she began before her mother cut her off.

"Don't worry about Daddy. Just eat your dinner and we'll talk to Auntie Claire later," she said, placing the girl back in front of her plate. Snow turned to his daughter and grinned widely, gently ruffling her hair.

That's when I knew.

I ground my teeth together as the realization dawned on me that Snow had been the one to send Aven over – deployed like an adorable little paratrooper. Serah had probably showed her the videos our parents took of my competitions at some point, and I instantly regretted not burning those wretched tapes years ago. Of course, the training had come in handy when I joined the Guardian Corps, but I never wanted anyone besides blood relatives finding out about that part of my life. Even though Snow had married my sister, that didn't quite make him family in my own mind.

"Huh, I had no idea you were in gymnastics, Light," Hope said.

I groaned as I reluctantly turned my head. "It's not something I go around broadcasting," I replied, unable to keep from sounding rather harsh.

Undeterred, a smug grin spread across Hope's face. "No wonder. Now I know your secret to pulling off all those impressive back flips," he retorted before continuing to eat.

I unceremoniously dropped my fork onto my plate and propped my elbows on the table, covering my reddening face with my hands. It wasn't possible for me to maintain my dignity in the grip of Snow's mischievous plot, not with Hope's comment as the kicker. Anything else that happened tonight would be mere collateral after the perfectly orchestrated attack.

My ass of a brother-in-law was definitely getting his later.

* * *

Once Snow stopped laughing and the excitement died down, dinner passed in relative silence, and I couldn't have been happier. Thankfully, I was still able to enjoy my meal even though my anger toward Snow's lapse in common sense had been dangerously close to boiling over. Everyone, including myself, went up for seconds on the wonderful shells. Serah had really outdone herself, and I made sure to thank her multiple times – once I was living on my own I wasn't going to be eating as good anymore.

I had the fleeting thought that deprivation from Serah's cooking might be a fitting punishment for Snow, but quickly decided that wouldn't be enough.

When dinner was over, all of us pitched in to help clean up and shorten the task. After everything was put away, I wasn't surprised that no one was in the mood for cake, but that didn't deter my headstrong younger sister.

"That's fine," she said with a confident smile. "We can wait."

We moved into the living room next, and I collapsed into an armchair, sighing as I sank into the cushions. I wanted to stay as far away from the couch as possible. Now that I was full, I knew that it wouldn't take very long for me to fall asleep again and open myself up to a whole new round of potentially awkward situations. In fact, sitting anywhere comfortable was potentially hazardous. As soon as I leaned my head against the back of the chair I could feel myself nodding off, and I immediately began wondering when we would be leaving.

I glanced over to where Hope was sitting on the couch, my previous thought suddenly feeling wrong.

_I wonder when I'll see him again,_ I mused, frowning thoughtfully.

Moments later, Sazh, Snow and Bartholomew turned the television on and conversed about what they could watch to pass the time. I didn't really care what they put on. It was doubtful that any of the shows I watched while I lived on Cocoon were being played now, so I didn't even bother putting my two cents in.

I yawned and let my head fall back against the chair, figuring that no one would notice, let alone mind, if I took a short nap. Right before I fell asleep, Serah plopped down on the arm of the chair and leaned up against my shoulder, resting her head on top of mine. I opened my eyes and glared in her direction, not caring if she could see my expression or not.

"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to buy that cake," she said, casually crossing her legs. "No one really seems interested."

I chuckled in spite of myself. "Not much you can do about it now. Want help cutting it anyway?" I asked, knowing I probably wouldn't be getting anymore sleep until we were back in Oerba, so I figured I might as well keep moving.

"Sure," she replied, hopping up and standing beside me. "I can tell you about a few of my plans for your week off in the mean-time." Her eyes shone with hopeful enthusiasm then, and I groaned, suddenly wanting to make myself scarce.

I immediately regretted the decision to help her with the cake as I rose to follow her back into the kitchen. Hope glanced over, shooting me a puzzled look, and I mimicked pointing a gun at my head and pulling the trigger as I trudged away. He laughed, covering his mouth with one hand, and saluted with the other. I balled my hand into a fist and shook it at him threateningly, and he put his hands up defensively, still grinning ear to ear when I finally lost sight of him as we entered the kitchen.

"Oh, don't be sour, Claire," Serah said, smiling over at me as she gathered a stack of saucers from one of the cupboards. "I only want you to relax a little before returning to work. Is that really so bad?"

A resigned sigh pushed past my lips, and I shook my head as she handed me the plates along with a handful of forks. "No, it's not," I answered, going to stand in front of the center island.

Serah retrieved the cake from the fridge – how she even managed to fit it in there would remain a mystery – and set it down on the counter top beside me. "If you at least pretend that you're having fun, I'll be happy. I'm trying to make up for lost time here."

I smiled and spread the plates out on the counter so it would be easier for her to disperse the pieces once she had cut them. "What do you have in mind then?"

"Just a few things for now," she replied, uncovering the cake and getting to work with a large knife. "There's an underwater cave tour at Sulyya Springs that I've been wanting to go on for the past few months. I've heard from several friends that it's really interesting. There's even an underground hot spring we can take a swim in once the tour is over."

I nodded my head in contemplation, actually liking the sound of that. We did a great deal of exploring during our time as l'Cie, especially in those springs, but the presence of Bismarck had kept us away from the water. I watched my sister cut Snow-sized pieces out of the cake, letting the silence hang between us for a few moments before I answered.

"Alright, that doesn't sound too bad," I said as Serah transferred the squares onto the plates. "What's next?"

"The anniversary of Cocoon's crystallization coincidentally falls the day before you leave for officer training. It's kind of like a huge carnival," she explained, looking over at me expectantly.

I closed my eyes and took in a deep, calming breath in through my nose. "Anything else?" I asked, not exactly looking forward to that, but keeping my opinion about it to myself.

"Definitely clothes shopping. You need a new wardrobe, my dear."

"I think I can handle that," I replied, grabbing a couple of plates and bringing them out to the living room.

When I saw the men had put on a velocycle race, I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I remembered Snow dragging Serah to a few of those after they started dating. I didn't hold much interest for them and neither did she, but she tolerated it because she wanted to make him happy. I could tell from the very beginning that things were going to get serious between them fast. I was just glad that he had kept all his promises, or else I would have done much worse than punch him a few times.

"Geez, Light, cut the pieces big enough?" Hope asked, chuckling as I handed him a plate.

"You can blame my sister for that," I said, passing the other piece to Sazh. "I think she's been living with Snow for too long."

"I'm definitely not complaining." He promptly took a large bite and smiled. "Mmm, thanks," he mumbled through a mouthful of cake.

The satisfied grin on Hope's face once again gave me the strange sensation of being under the spot light, and I quickly retreated into the kitchen before anyone could notice my flushed complexion. "Don't mention it," I called over my shoulder as I left the living room.

Serah passed me in the hallway with two more pieces in her hands. "I cut us both a piece," she said, pausing beside me briefly. "Let me bring these out and I'll join you."

I nodded, continuing on my way, and nearly ran into Aven when she came charging out of the kitchen.

"Oh, hi, Auntie Cwaire!" she announced, smiling sweetly at me and lifting her arms in the air to be picked up.

I stood there staring at her for a few seconds before finally leaning down and pulling her into my arms. As soon as I set her on my hip, she began playing with my hair like she had done with her mother's earlier at the clinic. I chewed on the inside of my cheek, feeling slightly awkward and unsure. I had never held a child in my arms before, so it wouldn't be something I was going to get used to quickly.

"You hair feewels just wike momma's," she said, carefully dragging her fingers through the strands.

I smiled as I set her down on the edge of the counter. "Well, we are sisters," I told her.

She giggled and nodded her head. "I know dat!" she replied, continuing to bury her small hands in my hair and slowly drag them back out. "Wiwl I eveu have a sister?" she asked suddenly, her voice becoming uncharacteristically serious.

"Um, I don't know," I replied, knowing Serah would be the only one able to answer that for her. "Maybe you should ask your mom next time you're alone with her."

"Ask me what?" the person in question inquired when she walked back into the kitchen.

"Nuffing!" Aven exclaimed, leaning away from me and giggling as Serah approached her.

"Oh yeah?" her mother questioned, tickling the young girl's sides and making her squeal.

"She just wanted to know if she could have some cake," I covered, figuring that the topic of a sibling wouldn't be appropriate right now.

"Yeah, I want cake!" Aven exclaimed, shooting her mother a pleading look.

Serah glanced at me and narrowed her eyes, shifting them back and forth between her daughter and myself. My sister was definitely not dumb; she knew there was something else going on, but after a moment of silence, she shrugged one shoulder, seeming to brush it off for the time being. "I'll share some of mine with you," she replied, giving Aven a bite. "You better not be bouncing off of the walls when we go home."

The small girl smiled. "I won't."

"We'll see about that," Serah said, smearing a dab of frosting on the tip of her nose.

Aven laughed as she wiped the fluffy white dot off and gladly accepted the next bite of cake that her mother offered her. I grinned as I started on my own monstrous piece, doubtful I would be able to finish it unless I wanted to get sick. My smile widened a small amount as I watched Serah and Aven. Despite how frustrating and stressful this day had turned out, I wouldn't have wanted to spend it anywhere else. I was thankful to be awake even though I didn't always feel like making a spectacle of myself to show it.

"So, Claire," Serah said suddenly, breaking me away from my thoughts. "How long is your officer training going to be?"

"Three months."

Her eyebrows lifted slightly. "Wow, will you have to live in Paddra the whole time?"

I shrugged. "I won't know until next week, but that's a definite possibility."

She nodded, taking a bite of the cake herself. Aven was attempting to braid a strand of her hair, her young face scrunched up in concentration. "Do you know what you'll be doing?"

"Besides kissing up to my superiors, doing mountains of paperwork, and getting slammed with extra leadership duties, I don't know," I answered, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "After I became a l'Cie, I didn't put too much stock in ever becoming an officer."

"That's true," Serah said, looking over at me. "I had my fair share of fears and concerns too."

My eyebrows twitched as I glanced away from my demolished piece of cake, a strange sensation slithering through my chest. I knew that this was the conversation we should have had after she came to me with the truth about being a l'Cie, but I let my anger get the best of me. No matter how many times that she said I was forgiven, I was never going to feel like I had apologized enough.

I pushed the plate away from me and slid across the counter top toward her, gently taking one of her hands in mine. "Like what?"

She squeezed my fingers and smiled sadly at me, briefly glancing at Aven out of the corner of her eye. The small girl was playing with her hair contentedly and humming a made up tune, so it was doubtful that she was paying attention to what we were talking about.

"A lot of things," she began quietly. "I was mostly disappointed with myself, because whether I turned to crystal or… something worse, I knew I would be leaving you alone. That scared me the most. Of course, I was scared about leaving Snow too, but you're my sister."

I pulled her into an impromptu hug – ending up pulling her far enough away from Aven that her hair slid out of her hands – and gripped her so tightly that my arms began shaking from the exertion. Aven looked at us questioningly for a moment, then just giggled happily.

"I wish we could have had this talk back then," I said.

She sighed and looped her arms around me, resting her chin on my shoulder. "It's in the past. Plus, you didn't know things would turn out so badly. It's not your fault. No one's perfect."

I nodded, but opted to remain silent. Her reassuring words didn't do much to console me, but I still appreciated hearing it. I deserved less than what I had been given, much less.

"What you talkin' 'bout, Momma?" Aven asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

Serah backed away from me and smiled over at her daughter. "Nothing, sweetie," she told her.

"Hey, babe!"

The sudden appearance of Snow in the doorway nearly made me scowl, but as soon as I heard Aven's joyful exclamation I kept my expression as guarded as I possibly could. I breathed in deeply and backed away from my sister, running my fingers through my hair and scratching my scalp. I knew that our conversation was practically over, but Snow always had an affinity for showing up at exactly the wrong moment.

"Hey there, shorty," Snow greeted as he lifted his daughter off the counter. He leaned down and kissed Serah on the forehead before turning back to his daughter. "How does going home sound?"

"Yep, sounds good," she replied, wrapping her arms around Snow's neck and laying her head down on his shoulder.

He smiled as he patted her back and turned to Serah and me. "It's almost time for us to catch our ride home. I just called a cab. It'll be here in about fifteen minutes." He paused, looking back and forth between us both with his eyes narrowed. "So, what were you two talking about?"

"Sister stuff," Serah answered with a grin, taking one last bite of her cake.

Bartholomew, Hope and Sazh came into the kitchen then and deposited their dirty plates into the sink. Dajh came in a few moments later, a wide yawn escaping from his mouth before he had a chance to shield it with his hand.

"Where have you been, Dajh?" Serah asked, cleaning up our plates as well.

Dajh grinned and glanced over at Hope. "When we got here earlier, Mr. Estheim showed me all of Hope's video games."

"Oh," she replied, smiling in Hope's direction. "I didn't think you had time for those anymore, Hope."

"My days off are fair game," he responded, grabbing a can of soda out of the fridge. "I need something to help me unwind after a long week at the clinic."

Snow turned to Sazh's teenage son, his signature grin on his face. "How were you even able to play video games with a broken arm?"

"Hey, my thumb works just fine," Dajh answered, lifting his injured arm and wiggling his thumb back and forth.

Everyone laughed at Dajh's comment, and I couldn't stop myself from joining in as well. Laughing like this with all the people that I cared about actually felt amazing. During our journey as l'Cie, I hadn't laughed once. I didn't think any of what we were going through was funny in the least, and I'm sure it showed. In all honesty, I couldn't remember how long it had been since the last time I really laughed. At least five years, maybe more. After my parents passed, it was hard to find much humor in anything.

"I really enjoyed this," Bartholomew said, leaning against the counter top. "We need to get together again sometime."

"Definitely," my sister agreed, starting in on the dishes as the conversation died away. With everyone still clustered together in the kitchen, I began to feel somewhat claustrophobic.

"I'll be right back," I said, pushing away from the center island and making my way back to the living room to retrieve my boots and gunblade.

I sighed as I sat down on the farthest end of the couch, grabbing my boots from under the coffee table. Right when I was about to start putting them on, I saw a flicker of movement in my peripheral vision and looked up. Hope was leaning against the nearby wall with his arms crossed over his chest, a strange expression on his face. I frowned as I met his eyes, mildly curious about what was going through his mind.

"Something wrong?" I asked, looking away from him long enough to put my left boot on.

He shook his head and slowly walked across the living room, collapsing on the couch beside me and resting his elbows on his knees. "No, not really," he muttered, not sounding very convincing. "I just had a lot of fun tonight. Kinda bummed that all of you have to go back to Oerba so soon."

I nodded in understanding as I put my other boot on, sort of knowing what he meant. In retrospect, I had missed so much more of Hope's life than anyone else's. Of course, having to miss out on my sister's wedding and first pregnancy were definitely significant events I would never get the chance to go back and take part in; looking at the pictures in her scrapbooks were all I had. But in all the years that I was asleep, Hope had gone from a child to an adult with his own dreams and ambitions, even a head start on a career. I only wished that I could have been there to see how he had been molded into the person sitting beside me now.

I took a breath to say something, words that would likely open up a whole other drawn-out conversation just when we were all about to leave, but paused when I remembered that I had transferred Hope's cell number into my contacts list – along with everyone else's – while I had been following Serah and Bartholomew through the grocery store. Having a lengthy chat over the phone with Hope at a later time, when I could really think things through, seemed like a much better idea. I quickly pulled my new phone from my leg pouch and typed Hope a short message, a split second decision that I would've ended up second guessing if I gave myself anymore time to think about it. I knew that it was highly unlikely for him to have my new number already, unless my sister had given it to him while I was asleep.

A mischievous glimmer flashed in Hope's eyes as I stood to put my gunblade back on. "What was that?" he asked, one corner of his mouth curling upwards.

"You'll find out," I answered, adjusting the straps on my gunblade sheath.

Mere seconds later, a quick succession of notes sounded from Hope's pocket. His silver eyebrows arched as he pulled the device out and flipped it open. A smirk spread across my lips as realization dawned on his face. He smiled and tapped on a few of the buttons before looking back up at me.

"Thanks, Light," he said, putting his phone back in his pocket and sighing, looking like he was relieved for some reason.

"During my officer training I'll more than likely have to stay at the base in Paddra. If you want to spend time with someone other than your dad on the weekends, just let me know."

His smile widened, and once again, I pictured his younger face. "Yeah, that would be great!"

After those words had left his mouth, though, his eyes widened and an expression like he had forgotten something appeared on his face. I was about to ask him what was wrong when a hover car horn blared from outside. I swore under my breath, cursing the horrible timing as Hope rose from the couch. The whole entourage poured out of the kitchen, and I started chewing on the inside of my cheek again, experiencing even more mixed feelings over leaving.

Our goodbyes were short, thankfully, and I volunteered to sit in the front seat beside the driver when no one else wanted to. We were all going to the same place anyway, so I didn't really mind where I sat. Once I was belted in, I realized that opting to sit in the front had, in retrospect, not been such a good choice after all. I couldn't keep my eyes away from the side mirror as the hover cab pulled away from Bartholomew's home and I watched Hope's form get smaller and smaller until I could no longer discern him from the surrounding darkness. My eyes slid shut of their own accord as soon as my head fell back against the rest, and the puzzling expression I had seen on his face after I gave him my cell number wouldn't stop flashing behind my closed lids.

I knew something was off. I just didn't know what.

* * *

"Serah, can I ask you something?" I inquired after we were seated and the airship bound for Oerba had taken off.

"Of course," she replied, smiling at me as she crossed her legs. "We have a while before we get home."

I nodded, taking a few moments to sort through my thoughts. That nap earlier had done wonders, but fatigue was beginning to set in again and I wasn't sure if I would be able to stay awake for much longer. I rubbed my eyes, hoping to eradicate some of my exhaustion so I could at least make it back to the bed in my sister's house before collapsing.

"During dinner, why did Hope give you that strange look?" I asked, turning to look her in the eyes.

Serah frowned and rested her chin in her hand as she contemplated my question, and it didn't take long for her to figure out what I meant. Her eyes narrowed slightly and she nodded her head a few times. "Right, I know what you're talking about," she answered before going silent once more.

The seconds passed by agonizingly slowly while I waited for her to continue. "Well?" I prodded, becoming slightly agitated.

"I'm sorry, Claire, I can't tell you. That's just – "

"Let me guess," I snapped, cutting her off. "Hope needs to tell me himself."

"Yes, exactly," she replied, sending me an apologetic look. "Sorry I can't help." She paused briefly as she leaned back in her seat and loosely folded her arms across her stomach. "There's something else I actually need to tell you, though. I haven't gotten a chance because of everything that's been going on."

I nodded. "What is it?"

"Hope's internship at the clinic in Paddra is coming to an end in the next couple of weeks. He's being transferred to a clinic in Oerba to finish up his training, so he's going to be staying with me and Snow after you leave for officer training. I'm glad you woke up _before_ he moved in," she said, a relieved smile spreading across her face.

I fought to keep my face emotionless even though I wanted to start laughing. This had to be the height of all irony. "So that's why…" I mumbled, thinking out loud.

My sister was silent beside me for a few moments, more than likely confused by my vague statement, before she finally just asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Before we left, I gave Hope my cell number so he would have a way to get in touch with me. Once I told him we could meet up while I'm in Paddra, he looked like he had forgotten about something, and now I know why."

"Oh," Serah said, both her eyebrows arched in surprise. "I can't believe he didn't say anything to you."

"The hover car arrived before he got the chance," I explained, leaning my head against the back of the seat and catching a yawn behind my hand.

"Well, don't worry," Serah said, rising from her seat and stretching her arms lazily over her head. "You've got all the time in the world to get to know him again." She smiled sweetly at me, then went to sit beside her husband for the duration of the trip.

I sighed again as I leaned even further back in my seat, extending my legs in front of me as far as they would go. Serah was right – I would be able to get to know Hope on my own terms this time instead of being forced, and a part of me that I wouldn't ever admit to anyone was looking forward to the next time I saw him. A small smile pulled the corners of my lips up as I allowed my eyelids to slide shut, quickly falling asleep to the hum of the airship's engines.


	6. Chapter 5: Up the Long Ladder

**Author's Note:**

So, I need to profusely apologize for the delay in updating. Long story short, things have been hectic. Thank you again to everyone that reviewed. I truly appreciate your patience and support.

Things will finally be picking up! Also, I've hidden a Star Trek Easter Egg in this chapter. So any and all Star Trek fans out there, be alert! Anyways, I hope all of you enjoy the chapter and I'll update on schedule in two weeks. Promise!

* * *

Chapter 5

Up the Long Ladder

* * *

I slept in much later than I meant to the next morning, which was a huge mistake – mainly because of the Aven-shaped torpedo that dropped on my chest, knocking the wind right out of me. The small girl's surprise attack left me gasping for air and her giggling like crazy. I rolled over onto my side with a weak groan and nearly coughed up a piece of my lung while I attempted to get my breath back.

"Good morning to you too, Aven," I wheezed, clutching my chest like my heart was about to burst out of my rib cage if I didn't keep it properly contained.

"Sowwy, Auntie Cwaire," she giggled, draping herself over my side. I took notice that she didn't sound sorry at all. "Momma towd me to wake you up."

I coughed once more before turning to look at her with half-lidded eyes. "You've definitely accomplished that." I placed a hand on top of her head and buried my fingers in the soft, pink tinted strands to ruffle her hair, earning a loud squeal that left my ears ringing. "Shh. I'll be out in a minute."

"Otay," she replied, continuing to giggle as she climbed off the bed and skipped out of the room.

Once she was gone, I flipped onto my back and rubbed the spot that Aven had landed on, wincing as a burning sensation crawled through my chest. I wasn't ever going to sleep in with Aven around again. She was definitely her father's daughter. There was no doubt about that.

I trudged out of the guest room five minutes later, running my fingernails across my scalp and grumbling under my breath. A part of me was almost glad that she had woken me up, though. Sleeping in till almost eight was, in my opinion, a waste of daylight. Why my internal clock hadn't woken me up at the normal time was a mystery.

"Good morning, sleepy head," my sister called from her place at the dining room table. She was holding a steaming mug between her hands and a paper was spread out on the table in front of her. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did until your daughter pounced on me," I answered, sitting down beside her and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"She does that to us too," she said, chuckling as she sipped at the liquid inside her cup. "She's a lot heavier than she looks, huh?"

"That's an understatement," I replied, eyeing the mug Serah was holding. "Is that coffee?"

She nodded and grinned at me. "Yes, it is. Go help yourself. The mugs are in the cupboard above the coffee maker."

I immediately rose from the table and fetched a plain black mug, filling it almost to the brim, then added a hefty helping of sugar. I didn't believe in watering down the caffeine boost with creamer to make the bitterness bearable. All it needed was sugar. The taste I had acquired for coffee came from the many early mornings I had to deal with after enlisting in the GC. Cold showers only sufficed for so long. Even then, if it wasn't for the precious caffeine, I would've stayed far away from the stuff.

I turned and leaned against the counter top, blowing over the surface of the liquid before taking a careful sip. A few moments of comfortable silence passed as Serah read her paper and I slowly drank my coffee. I didn't want to ask her what she had planned for today just yet. In my mind, the longer I stayed oblivious, the better. Maybe then I would be able to avoid whatever she had in mind.

"I think I'm going to take a shower," I said, taking one last gulp from my mug before pouring the rest down the sink. "Is that alright?"

Serah looked up, her thin brows furrowed. "Of course it is. You don't need to ask."

"I just want to make sure so I don't run the risk of walking in on anyone, namely your husband. I'd probably be stricken blind if that happened," I replied while I rinsed the mug out and placed it in the dishwasher.

Serah snorted and had to shield her mouth to prevent from spraying her coffee all over the table. Once she choked the liquid in her mouth down she fell back in her chair, laughing loudly. I certainly hadn't been trying to be funny. I was dead serious.

"Oh, good grief, Claire," she said once she had calmed down enough to speak, dabbing her eyes with a napkin. "You won't have to worry about that. Snow's out on patrol."

"Thank the Maker for that," I responded, walking back to my temporary room to gather some casual clothes. I didn't have to wear a uniform for the rest of the week, and I was going to take advantage of that.

Twenty minutes later, I was walking back to the front of the house, combing my hands through my damp hair and feeling refreshed. After all the stress that I'd experienced the previous day, I was willing to go as far as admitting that I could use a massage, but mentioning that to Serah would be equivalent to committing ritualistic suicide. She would insist on getting the full spa treatment, cucumbers and all.

_Etro forbid,_ I thought, inwardly shuddering. I loved my sister more than life itself, but we just didn't see eye to eye on a number of things.

I paused in the living room and observed Aven loudly crunching on a bowl of the same fruity cereal she had eaten the other day. Some cheerful cartoon show was playing on the television, completely holding the little girl's attention captive, but that didn't stop her from turning to wave at me. I waved back and returned to the kitchen where Serah was standing in front of the stove cooking.

"You still like your eggs over hard, Sis?" she asked when I stopped beside her.

"Yes, please," I answered.

"So, I know you've been dreading today, which is completely fine, but did you want me to tell you what I have in mind or would you rather it be a surprise?" she asked as I searched the cabinets for some plates.

I froze right in the middle of opening the cabinet door, trying to determine if the truth was the best course of action or not. I abhorred surprises, but, then again, would knowing what I was walking into make me any less enthused than I already was? I wisely kept my inner dialogue to myself.

"I think you should tell me," I finally answered after a long, drawn out silence. "You know how much I _love_ surprises."

"Oh, I know all too well. I remember what happened when I tried to throw you that surprise party," she said, visibly shuddering. "I'm pretty sure our neighbors thought a massacre was taking place with all the terrified teenagers that were running out of our house screaming."

I nearly dropped the plates I was pulling from the cupboard at her recant of the disaster that was my supposed to have been my sixteenth birthday. I hadn't been expecting her to bring _that_ up. I bit the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from grinning with satisfaction. That night might not have started the way I wanted it to, but it had certainly ended on a high note.

"I know you meant well," I replied, setting the plates down on the counter. "I didn't understand at the time, but I do now. I know I shouldn't have reacted the way I did."

"Actually, I really don't blame you. If I had suddenly gotten confetti and silly string thrown in my face when I wasn't expecting it, I'd be pretty angry too," she said, sliding the eggs she had made for me onto my plate. "I should be the one apologizing. I knew better, but I wanted to do something special for you."

A half-grin curled one side of my mouth up as I searched for a fork. "Just spending time with you is special enough," I replied, going to sit down at the table. Serah joined me a moment later and we sat in silence as we ate, listening to Aven sing along to one of the songs on her show.

"Well, I don't have anything too exciting planned for today," she began, knowing I wasn't going to willingly bring the subject up again. "Since Snow is working today, we can have some girly time and get our shopping done."

I nodded. "Alright," I acquiesced. "When do you want to get started?"

"Whenever you're ready," she answered. "I'm not going to rush you."

…

Serah requested that we stop by my house before our shopping trip began so I could see exactly what clothes I needed to buy, much to my distaste. There was nothing wrong with most of the clothes she had salvaged from my old closet; only a few articles were moth eaten, but those certain items were old and I would have ended up throwing them out anyways. All I really needed was a new pair of running shoes, but she insisted that I "upgrade my wardrobe". All of my protests of having no use for new clothes fell on deaf ears. Even Aven took her mother's side. I was outnumbered two to one.

Nothing good would come from this.

By the time we were ready to leave my house, Serah had managed to find six shirts, four pairs of pants and even a few undergarments that needed replacing, viable but infuriating excuses that I did in fact need this shopping trip. Her triumphant expression as she led Aven and I away from my house was enough to make grumble under my breath in discontent. She had won this battle.

We spent the rest of the afternoon and part of the evening perusing Oerba's shopping district and sampling nearly every corner hot dog vendor that we could find. By the time we were finally done, our arms were weighed down by the dozens of shopping bags we had acquired. Aven was carrying her fair share of the day's spoils. The expression on Snow's face when we walked through the door was pure and unadulterated bewilderment.

"Geez, you two," he said, chuckling as he scooped Aven up into his arms. "What did you do? Buy out all the stores?"

Ignoring Snow, I deposited my clothes in the guest room and collapsed onto the living room couch, even more exhausted than what I thought was possible.

_If this is what the next six days are going to be like, I don't think I'm going to survive._

* * *

"Wow, Sis, who are you trying to impress?" Snow asked, grinning stupidly as he gestured to the bikini I bought while shopping with Serah two days prior.

I glanced down at the plain white top, arching one eyebrow dangerously at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, slipping a dark blue long sleeved shirt over my head. Serah had told me to dress warmly since the air would be cold inside the caves leading to the hot springs.

"Oh, nothing," he replied, crossing his arms over his broad chest and leaning casually against the door frame. "I just never thought I'd see you wearing a bikini. There's a first time for everything, huh?"

I rolled my eyes as I finished dressing, wishing I had something to throw at him. "Whatever," I huffed.

"Alright, alright," Snow said, throwing his hands into the air defensively. "I can take a hint."

I let out an audible sigh of relief when he disappeared from sight, and was about to go into the bathroom across the hall when Snow's head popped back into my doorway.

"So tell me," he began, that same sly grin crawling back onto his face. "Are you excited that Hope is tagging along?" The way he was suggestively bouncing his eyebrows made one corner of my mouth begin to twitch.

His off the wall question successfully left me feeling a bit flustered. I was glad, yes, because I'd have another opportunity to get to know him better, but letting Snow know that – or anything at all in the way of a true opinion – would definitely not be wise. I quickly regained my composure and pushed past him, trying not to let him get on my nerves.

"Don't you have anything better to do than bother me?" I inquired, staring at my reflection in the bathroom mirror so I wouldn't have to look at him.

"You know you love me, Sis," he said, walking away chuckling.

I ground my teeth together and tried not ripping my hair out while I brushed it. My distaste for him hadn't subsided even though I had given him my blessing to marry my sister. He was lucky he made her happy, or else all bets were off.

"Auntie Cwaire!" Aven called as she ran down the hallway. "You weady yet?"

I smiled at her as I swept my hair over my shoulder and left the bathroom. "Yes, I am."

"Woo hoo!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms into the air and sprinting back to the living room. "Otay, Momma, wet's go!"

I smiled involuntarily at how excited she was. Serah laughed as she hefted the small girl into her arms and gave her a quick hug before setting her back down on the ground. "Hold on, I have to make sure we have everything. Where's your backpack?"

"Woom," Aven replied, a cheeky smile spreading across her face as she pointed back the way we had come.

"Well, go get it, silly girl," Serah said, playfully nudging her daughter down the hallway. "And hurry! We have to meet Daddy at the airship dock."

"Otay!" she yelled as she ran back to her room.

"We won't have long until she comes back," she said, handing me a large white tote bag. "I just have to finish checking one more bag and we'll be set."

I nodded, taking a quick peek inside my bag before slinging it over my shoulder. There were towels, extra clothes and a variety of snacks that I assumed were for Aven. The bag Serah was going through looked just as full as the one I had, which made me wonder how much stuff we needed to bring for one simple tour.

"Besides walking through an underwater cave and swimming in a hot spring, what else is there to do on this tour?" I asked, folding my arms loosely over my stomach.

"There's a souvenir shop we can explore and a café we can eat at before the tour starts," she answered, sliding her bag onto her shoulder.

"Oh, goodie."

My sister rolled her eyes and grinned at my sarcastic remark. "Don't sound so enthusiastic, Claire," she shot back, playfully slapping my upper arm.

"Believe me, I'm trying."

Aven ran back in then, her backpack stuffed so full that it looked like it might come apart at the seams, and we left. It was half past nine in the morning, but I could already feel the stifling humidity in the air, making me wish I hadn't decided to wear a long sleeved shirt and pants. After living in Bodhum all my life, one would think I'd be used to it, but Pulse's weather wasn't controlled by a fal'Cie. I had received that reality check during my first visit as a l'Cie all those years ago.

It only took us about ten minutes to reach the airship dock because we had allowed Aven to set the pace. The little girl was so excited that she could have run the entire way. I breathed a sigh of relief when we entered the air conditioned terminal, slowly combing my fingers through my sweat-dampened hair and let Serah led the way since I had no idea where Snow was waiting for us. I hadn't exactly been paying attention to the layout a few days ago, thanks to the crowd of people staring at me. Such wasn't the case today. I was becoming old news just like my sister had predicted, and I was completely fine with that.

"Serah! Over here!" Snow yelled, sounding like he was using a bull horn to amplify his voice.

_Of course he isn't,_I thought. _He's that loud all by himself._

His shouting succeeded in making nearly everyone in the terminal stop and look directly at us. I groaned, covering one half of my face with my hand. The big oaf had no filters at all. Sometimes I seriously questioned Serah's judgment, and this was one of those times. If everyone's eyes weren't on us I might have clocked him.

"Where's Hope?" my sister asked, glancing around the crowded terminal, her brow furrowed.

"He should be here any minute. He just called me," Snow answered, smiling at Serah and giving her a kiss on the top of her head as he pulled her close to his side.

Aven tugged on her father's pant leg when he didn't notice her right away. "Daddy, what 'bout me?" she asked, giggling as she spoke.

"Oh, sorry, squirt! I didn't see you down there," he said, promptly scooping her into his arms and hoisting her onto his shoulders. Aven squealed in delight and hugged Snow's head tightly.

During their exchange, I found myself scanning the crowd for Hope's silver hair and was stunned by the sudden sensation of anxiety that began crawling through my chest. I was looking forward to seeing him again, but a small part of me was dreading it, and the fact that I couldn't even explain to myself why I was feeling that way bothered me. I knew that until my life regained some kind of normalcy, running from the fear of the unknown would be a daily struggle, and that was the last thing I wanted. I was almost wishing everything could go back to the way it used to be, but I knew in the back of my mind that I didn't mean really want that at all.

When I turned to look in the opposite direction, I finally spotted him walking toward us, and my mind instantly went blank. I was relieved that I had become an expert at keeping my outward reactions to a minimum, because on the inside I felt like a chocobo in the headlights. Before I could manage to rip my eyes off of him before he – or Snow for that matter – realized I was staring, Hope's gaze met mine and he waved, smiling charmingly at me. At a loss for what to do, I sent him a half-hearted smile and waved back. Seconds later, Snow finally noticed Hope approaching and made just as much of a spectacle shouting at him as he had for Serah and me earlier. I ground my teeth together and shot a glare at the back of his head, hoping the rest of the day wouldn't be exactly like this.

"Geez, Hope, taking your time?" Snow asked, looking down at his wrist like he was wearing a watch and tapping the nonexistent face.

Hope grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, the airship in Paddra was delayed. One of the flight attendants was late."

"We can talk more once we're in the air," my sister said, grabbing her husband's arm and pulling him along with her. "We only have ten minutes to reach our gate."

"Yes, Ma'am," Snow replied, smiling down at her.

I fought the temptation to roll my eyes as Hope fell in step beside me. "You sure you want to tag along? Snow is in one of his rare moods," I said, needing to remind myself once again that I had to look up at him and not down.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I've gotten pretty good at dealing with Snow. Not on par with your sister, of course, but good enough to be able to dish it back to him," he replied, adjusting the strap of the backpack he was carrying over his right shoulder.

I couldn't help grinning at that mental image. "I'd love to see that."

"So, Serah told me you went shopping the other day. How did that go?" he asked, stuffing his free hand in his pocket.

I closed my eyes and rolled them beneath their lids. "Not as bad as I thought it was going to be. There were a few things I needed anyway." I paused and cleared my throat, fighting off the feeling of awkwardness that suddenly fell over me. Small talk wasn't my strong suit. "After seven years, a few of the items in my closet were beyond saving."

Hope looked away from me then and became oddly quiet as we wove through the crowded terminal behind my sister, Snow and Aven. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, guessing that the very mention of the amount of time I spent in crystal stasis was the reason behind his silence.

"What did it feel like to wake up and see how everything had changed? How long did you think you'd slept?" he asked suddenly, keeping his eyes straight forward.

I frowned as I turned my head toward him, a little perplexed by his questions. I remembered that we had vaguely touched on the subject while we were sitting at his father's dinner table, so I couldn't figure out why he felt like he needed to ask again. I decided to humor him, though. Talking with him was a much better alternative than talking to Snow.

"I immediately thought that all of you were dead, and I would have to adjust to being alone," I answered, the corners of my mouth turning down slightly when I remembered how I had felt in that gut-sinking moment. It certainly hadn't been pleasant. "I didn't even want to guess how many years had gone by, to be honest. Ignorance is bliss, after all."

I paused and shot him an inquisitive glance. "Actually, I have a question for you."

Hope's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Yeah, sure. What is it?"

I swallowed the lump that had settled in my throat and breathed in deeply through my nose. "The last thing I remember before the dreams began is floating through the air with everyone and seeing Fang and Vanille transform into Ragnarok. What happened after that? Besides Cocoon turning to crystal, I mean."

I noticed the muscles in Hope's jaw tighten and I knew, even after all this time, that it was still a tender subject for him, as well as everyone else. "We all appeared in a field not far from Cocoon. We were in crystal stasis, but only for a few minutes. I know I had some dreams during that time, but I can't remember what they were." He paused and met my eyes. "No one was more shocked than your sister to see you still a crystal. None of us could guess what it meant."

I nodded. I didn't know what it meant, either, and I was doubtful I would ever find the answer to that riddle. Our conversation died as we approached our gate, joining the large group of people already waiting to board. Serah handed Hope and me our boarding passes, then turned to her daughter.

"Need to go to the bathroom before we leave, sweetie?" she asked, checking the time on her phone.

"Nope," the little girl answered, shaking her head.

A few minutes later, a flight attendant opened the door leading to the airship and instructed us on the proper boarding procedures. I stuck close to my sister so I wouldn't lose her in the huge crowd that suddenly gathered around the flight attendant. Once we were aboard the airship, we went into our private cabin and settled in for the three hour flight to Sulyya Springs.

I couldn't have been happier when we finally reached our destination, and I was tempted to kiss the ground if it wouldn't have made me look extremely moronic. Snow had been quiet for about forty-five minutes total, but even then he had been snoring, so, in retrospect, he hadn't shut up once the entire flight. I almost regretted not bringing my gunblade. It would have come in handy. Talking to Serah and Hope had been the only thing to prevent me from throttling him.

"Geez, and I thought you hated him while we were l'Cie," Hope muttered, chuckling under his breath.

I fought the impulse to roll my eyes. "It's not that I hate him," I replied as I looked around the spacious cavern, noticing how much it had changed. "He just has a gift for pushing my buttons, even when he doesn't mean to."

"Yeah, I can relate with that." Hope paused and looked like he wanted to say something else, but our conversation came to an abrupt halt when my sister appeared at my side.

"So, what do we want to do first?" she asked us, grinning from ear to ear.

Since we arrived a full two hours before the tour was scheduled to begin, we were able to take our time in the restaurant as well as the gift shop. I didn't feel the urge to buy any of the souvenirs on display, though. I didn't have any use for knick knacks that were only good for collecting dust. Just looking was more than enough for me.

Serah, on the other hand, walked out with an extra tote bag when it was finally time for the tour to start.

In order to get to the cave system, we had to take an elevator nearly a mile and a half underwater. The walls of the elevator were made of what the tour guide called transparent aluminum, a fiberglass alternative. A barrier only half an inch thick was stronger than six inches of fiberglass, and I was actually quite impressed by that. The inhabitants of Cocoon had not only managed to rebuild two of Pulse's cities, but made huge technological advancements as well. Some good had apparently come from the catastrophe of the Fall, in the end.

"We believe this cave system was home to an ancient Pulsian civilization that preferred living underground as opposed to living on the surface. Scientists are still unable to determine the exact reason, but we believe they retreated here shortly after the War of Transgression in fear of a counter attack from Cocoon. So, you see, Pulse inhabitants were just as frightened of an invasion as we were," the guide explained, pausing briefly. "Alright, if everyone is ready we can begin our descent. It's going to take about two hours to reach the hot springs."

I quirked an eyebrow as the group began to shuffle forward. _A little on the long side, isn't it?_ I thought, folding my arms loosely over my stomach and feeling grateful I wore a pair of comfortable shoes.

Halfway through the underground maze, we reached a small cavern that had been made to look like it was still inhabited. I rubbed my upper arms to help dispel the chill that was rapidly seeping into me as I glanced around. Dwellings made from animal skins were scattered about and ancient pieces of pottery were displayed on the ground in the middle of the tiny 'community'. The tour guide announced that we could explore at our leisure for a few minutes before moving on.

Aven wasted no time in quickly pulling her parents away. Hope and I followed them, slowly meandering through the dwellings and making a few false starts at small talk. I stopped and crouched down in front of a makeshift house, curiously examining all the utensils lying on a thick pelt in the entrance. There was a spoon, fork and knife carved out of wood, large clam shells that I assumed were used for plates and bowls, and even primitive weapons.

"It's amazing how simply people used to live, huh?" Hope said, kneeling beside me.

I nodded and met his eyes, breathing in sharply when I realized how close he was. I suddenly felt myself being held fast by his gaze alone, and it only took me a few seconds to recognize that he was wearing the same indecipherable expression from three days ago. I frowned as I backed away and stood, my curiosity over the meaning behind that stare starting to irk me. Part of me still wanted to stay oblivious, but I knew I wouldn't be able to stop myself from asking questions the next time I saw it.

"I guess it is," I replied at length, rubbing my hands over my pant legs.

As my eyes skimmed across the cavern wall, something caught my attention, making me do a double take and immediately wander closer to investigate. The strange markings I saw made my eyes widen in fascination as I realized that they ancient cave drawings. I stuck a hand behind me, frantically shaking it to signal Hope that he needed to see this. He was at my side almost instantaneously and his eyes widened to match mine when he saw what I had discovered.

"What on Pulse is all this?" he asked, his brows furrowed as he swept his fingertips across the coarse stone.

I shook my head, completely baffled. "I have no idea."

I took a few steps back and scanned the wall, my eyes widening even further when I saw that nearly the entire space was covered in the strange drawings. Everything from crude animal doodles, to strange symbols that I guessed were some kind of written language, to descriptive hunting or daily life scenes were scrawled across the surface. I was truly in a state of awe. Seeing something like this in person was a privilege.

"Wow," Hope breathed, slack-jawed.

I stepped away from him and slowly walked along the wall, gazing at all the different drawings and wondering how I hadn't noticed them when we first came in or, more importantly, why we were the only ones that had taken interest in the drawings. Glancing briefly over my shoulder I noticed that the rest of the group was dispersed throughout the cavern and I snorted before turning back to continue examining the wall. In my opinion, these cave drawings were the most interesting part of the tour thus far.

I was getting a closer look at an exceptionally intricate drawing of Bismarck, figuring that was the fal'Cie this certain tribe worshipped, when I heard Hope's voice calling me, a hint of recognizable urgency in his tone. I looked over my shoulder and saw him waving at me a short distance away.

"What is it?" I asked as I approached him.

"Take a look at this. It's different from all the others," he said, pointing to a cluster of doodles isolated from the rest of the drawings. He took a couple steps back so I could get a closer look, and I recognized a few of the scribbles immediately.

They were Cie'th stones.

The memory of the flight to Paddra and Snow telling me about the sudden disappearance of all the Cie'th stones flashed through my mind and I frowned at the oddly coincidental timing. I pushed those thoughts away and moved closer to the wall, attempting to make sense of the faded drawings.

About a dozen stones were gathered in a circle with what looked like the figure of a woman standing in the center. Her right arm was hanging by her side and the left was pointing at one of the stones. When I examined it further, it almost seemed like it had partially transformed back into a human, but still resembled a Cie'th. It was absolutely grotesque, and an involuntary shudder flew down my spine at the sight of it. A block of ancient text that I couldn't read was below the picture, and I wondered if it would explain the meaning behind the strange drawing when translated.

Hope, who had remained silent while I studied the scribbles on the wall, chose that moment to speak. "Pretty strange, huh? So far, this is the only painting I've seen with Cie'th stones. Think it means anything?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," I answered, looking back at him and shrugging.

The tour guide's voice suddenly echoed through the cavern, signaling that it was time to move on, and we set off to find the rest of our party. I spotted them on the other side of the makeshift village with the rest of the group and we quickened our pace so we wouldn't get left behind. Serah saw us approaching and waved us over.

"Where have you two been?" Snow asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

I rolled my eyes and punched him in the arm. "None of your business."

I heard Hope chuckle behind me as we followed the high-spirited tour guide out of the cavern and back into the cave system. I tried listening to what the guide was saying, but my thoughts kept returning to the peculiar cave drawing of the Cie'th stones and what it could possibly mean. I couldn't help but feel like it might have some connection or relevance to the stones' disappearances, but without anything else to go on I tucked that information into the back of my mind for later.

After another hour of meandering through the maze of underground tunnels, looking at centuries-old rock formations, and listening to the tour guide prattle on, we finally reached the hot spring. Before I could even see the water, I could feel the heat in the air and the moisture on my skin. I smiled to myself, looking forward to warming up. Serah hadn't been kidding when she said the caves were going to be cold. It made me wonder exactly how the people that used to live down here survived.

"This is going to feel spectacular!" Snow exclaimed when we entered the warm cavern, hefting his small daughter onto his shoulders.

My jaw slackened when I finally saw how beautiful the spring was. Instead of the huge pool that I had envisioned in my mind, there were about a dozen separate pools that were divided by board walkways. All the pools against the wall – the deeper ones, I was assuming – had large slides that looked like they had been carved right out of the rock. Right as everyone started to disband, the guide told us we had two hours before the next group arrived, which was when we would need to leave.

"That's plenty of time," Serah remarked, blowing up a set of arm floaties for Aven.

Snow chose one of the pools with a slide for us and was the first one to test it out, creating a splash that sloshed out far enough to get our feet wet. I shot him a glare as I lifted my shirt over my head and removed my pants. We would be lucky to leave with dry clothes if he kept up those antics.

I happened to glance over just then, and caught Hope staring at me. As soon as our eyes met, he quickly looked away and knelt down to fumble with his backpack. My eyebrow twitched as I stared at the back of his head, my gaze drifting down to his bare back and getting stuck there. My eyes slowly scanned over the planes of his back, genuinely surprised by the musculature that was normally hidden beneath his shirt. I didn't realize that I had been staring until Aven's voice snapped me to attention.

"Come on, Auntie Cwaire!" the little girl exclaimed, grabbing my hand and beginning to pull me toward the water. I shot one last glance over my shoulder at Hope, a strange feeling that I couldn't put a name to churning in my stomach.

I heard Serah chuckling behind me as I stumbled along behind Aven half bent over, trying not to slip on the water that was already gathered on the stone. When we reached the edge of the pool, the five-year-old promptly jumped in, showing no fear whatsoever. She was laughing when her head popped back to the surface, flailing her floatie-clad arms with glee, and I was suddenly concerned for my sister's mental health as Aven got older. If she turned out too similar to her father, the chances of Serah having a heart attack by the time she turned thirty was highly probable.

Instead of jumping in like Aven had, I sat down on the edge and put my feet in, marveling at how warm the water was. It was the perfect temperature, reminding me strongly of a hot tub. The steam that was rolling off the surface in graceful coils gave the impression that the water was much hotter than it actually was. I took a deep, contented breath and was just about to slide the rest of the way in when a pair of strong arms suddenly lifted me from behind and tossed me into the pool. It happened so quickly I didn't even get the chance to cry out and nearly succeeded in sucking a large mouthful of water into my lungs. I came back to the surface, choking and sputtering, and saw the culprit doubled over with laughter on dry land above me.

Hope had thrown me in.

_Oh, it's on now,_ I thought, quickly devising a plan in my head as I paddled to the edge.

"Yeah, _very_ hilarious," I said, pushing my soaked bangs out of my eyes and extending my hand toward him. "Now help me out." I braced my feet against the wall in preparation, my eyes locked on his face, and smiled inwardly.

"Alright, alright," Hope replied, still chuckling as he reached down to grab my hand.

As soon as his fingers wrapped around mine, I forcefully yanked his arm and pushed off the wall, catapulting him over my head. He yelped in surprise as he sailed toward the water, wildly flailing his limbs in vain. He crashed into the water, disappearing beneath the surface, and from across the pool I noticed the thunderstruck expression on Snow's face quickly dissolve as he began loudly guffawing at my counter attack. A smug grin spread across my lips when Hope's silver hair broke the surface, the shocked look on his face making me laugh out loud.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, coughing. "That wasn't fair!"

"Oh, yes, it was," I replied, climbing out of the pool and sitting on the edge once more. "You deserved that and you know it."

Snow paddled up to me, still laughing, and gave me a high five. "Lightning, that was epic! You just blew my mind!"

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help the grin that curled one half of my mouth up. "I have my moments of brilliance."

"So," Snow began, gesturing back at the smooth stone slide behind him. "Anyone else want to try that slide out with me? It's pretty awesome."

I glanced up at it with trepidation before looking back down at him. "I think I'll just watch. You go ahead."

Snow shook out his drenched hair as he lifted himself out of the pool. "Hey, it's your loss."

"Be caweful, Daddy!" Aven called as she continued to paddle back and forth in front of me.

Snow grinned back at her. "Don't you worry about me, pumpkin. Just don't swim in front of the slide," he instructed. "Come on, Hope! Get your skinny ass over here!"

Hope rolled his eyes as he exited the pool as well, reluctantly following the taller man to the top of the slide. "Okay, okay."

Aven swam toward me and grabbed one of my legs to help keep her from floating away. "Yoo gonna go too, Auntie Cwaire?" she asked, looking up at me with a smile.

I smiled back and shook my head. "No, I'll stay here with you."

I brought my attention back to the two men standing on the slide platform, who were deciding which one of them was going to go first. Hope was apparently trying to be a gentleman and let Snow go first, but Snow continued insisting that he wanted Hope to go first.

I wagged my head. _Boys…_

"Before we fall asleep, please!" I yelled, crossing my arms over my chest.

After going back and forth for a little while longer, Hope decided to go first, but instead of going down on his back, he chose to slide down on his stomach. A broad grin stretched his mouth as he went and he cried out in excitement before hitting the water head first. As he was swimming back toward us I found myself staring at him again, mesmerized by the way he moved through the water. I huffed and shook my head to clear it.

"You guys have to try that thing out," Hope said as he came to a stop in front of me. "Way more fun than it looks."

"I wanna twy, Momma!" Aven announced, climbing out of the water and dashing over to her mother.

"Okay, wait till Daddy comes down," she answered, directing her gaze back to the top of the slide where Snow was waving his arms, trying to get our attention.

"Oh, by the way, he wants us all to see this one," Hope said, hefting himself up on the edge beside me. "He said something about having a really great idea."

I chuckled under my breath, immediately looking toward Snow as I crossed my arms over my chest again, a grin crawling across my lips. Something in the back of my mind was telling me that whatever he was about to do was going to be good, not because he would succeed in showing off, but because he was going to fail miserably.

After ensuring he had our undivided attention, Snow approached the slide and paused for a few moments, preparing himself for whatever he was about to do. Just when I started to get impatient, he stepped forward and began sliding down standing up, looking like he was trying to surf. I heard Serah gasp behind me and Hope started cheering, but I remained silent, confident that something was going to go wrong.

When it finally did, I couldn't help the smug expression that slithered onto my face.

Half-way down, Snow lost his balance, and as he attempted to regain it, his feet slipped out from underneath him. The resounding crack that echoed around us as his head made contact with the stone slide was deafening. He sank into the water, and I was briefly concerned that he might not come back up.

After a long stretch of silence as we watched the bubbles rise to the surface, he finally bobbed to the surface, and I heard my sister gasp again from behind me. Snow looked around in a daze for a couple of seconds before breaking out in a cacophony of hysterical laughter, completely confounding the three of us.

Aven suddenly began laughing as well and jumped into the water, paddling over to her father. I risked a glance back at Serah, not surprised to see her absolutely seething, her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides. She stomped over to where Snow was floating, her eyes wide with anger. Hope and I exchanged glances and decided to follow her, not wanting to miss out on anything.

"Snow, what in the name of Pulse possessed you to do something like that?" she yelled, her entire upper body practically shaking with fury.

Hope crossed his arms and shook his head, chuckling slightly. "Yeah, that was a bad idea gone worse in my opinion."

Snow continued to laugh as he swam to the edge of the pool with Aven perched on one of his arms. He swung her up onto the deck before hoisting himself out of the water. "I wouldn't call that a bad idea gone worse," he began, gently probing the back of his head. "I'd call that a great idea gone decent."

I groaned and hid my face in my hands, suddenly feeling the impulse to get the hell out of the caves. Barely half an hour in and Snow had nearly given himself a concussion, not to mention my sister looked like she wanted to wrap her skinny hands around his muscled neck and shake him till his teeth rattled. Needless to say, I didn't need any more reasons to call him an idiot.

The remainder of our time in the springs and eventual ascent back to the surface went surprisingly smooth after Snow's stunt, which I was exceedingly thankful for. As we were boarding the airship, I couldn't help but wonder if this incident was going to set the tone for the rest of my week off.

* * *

"I can't believe you actually talked me into this, Serah," I said as I was dressing in the guest room on the last day of my vacation. "You know I hate stuff like this."

"Hey, you should be excited!" my sister called from her bedroom. "It's the seventh anniversary of Cocoon's Fall, and the first time you'll be going to the celebration! Trust me, you're going to love it!"

I rolled my eyes but couldn't stop from smirking. This entire week had been packed full of 'firsts', and I'm sure she would have dragged me to a dozen other places if I wasn't returning to work tomorrow to begin my officer training.

_Thank the Goddess for small miracles._

"Plus," Serah began, prancing into my room and over to where I was standing in front of the mirror. "Hope is going to meet up with us." She rested her hands on my shoulders and peered at me, a mischievous glint lighting her eyes.

I nodded, the fact that both my sister and Snow started using Hope's presence as a bargaining chip to ensure I participated in all their planned activities not going unnoticed by me. More irked at myself for caving to them so easily, I tugged on the edges of the green tank top that Serah had helped me pick out. She tried to convince me to buy a brighter color like yellow or orange, but I thankfully won _that_ battle. I didn't need any more excuses for everyone to gawk at me. I'd already heard that a lot people were excited about possibly seeing me at the celebration, and my hopes that my awakening had become old news were obliterated.

Serah backed away from me and looked down at the shoes I had chosen. "I wish you would just wear those cute sandals of mine that I showed you," she said, screwing her nose up at the new pair of athletic shoes I bought at the beginning of the week.

I scoffed and looked over at her. "I would prefer to not have blisters at the end of the day," I retorted. "Be grateful that I agreed to wear these shorts, and that's only because of how warm it's going to be."

The corners of my mouth pulled down as I stared at my denim shorts in the mirror. She was lucky I had woken up during the summer, or else I wouldn't have been caught dead in such an outfit. My sister, on the other hand, was dressed in a pink and cream pleated skirt with a matching blouse and a pair of brown leather sandals. Just because we were sisters didn't mean we had even remotely similar fashion sense.

"Have you thought of staying in Paddra tonight, since you have to report in the morning?" she asked, examining her face and hair in the mirror one last time before we left.

I crossed my arms loosely over my stomach and stared at my reflection as I thought. "I'm considering it," I answered after a moment of silence. "I need to speak with Amodar first before making a decision, but I already packed a bag just in case."

"Sounds good to me," she replied, turning and nudging me with her shoulder. "Let's get going. Snow and Avy are waiting for us."

Two hours later, we were in the same park I had found Dajh in a week before, now setting up a picnic spot under a large shade tree for our group. In total, there were twelve of us: Serah, Snow, Aven, Hope, Bartholomew, Sazh, Dajh, Gadot, Yuj, Maqui, Lebreau and myself. Spending time with just Snow was hard enough, but now I had to suffer his gang of do-gooders as well. Yes, technically, they had real jobs through the GC now, but I would forever think of them as the band of miscreants that believed they were above the law, and because of that, I could never take them seriously.

"Hey, Lightning!" Lebreau called. "Wanna come help me spread out the blankets?"

Alright, I lied. Lebreau was the only one I semi-tolerated, and that was only because she understood weapons almost as well as I did.

I nodded, moving away from the tree I had been leaning against, and walked toward her. She handed me a thick quilt that I instantly recognized, and a feeling of nostalgia passed over me. The ghost of a smile turned my lips up as I ran my fingers over the aged stitching, faded memories and feelings coming to the forefront of my mind. My Grandma Farron had made this for me when I was born. She had passed away when I was five, so I didn't quite remember what she looked like, but I had always been able to feel the love she put into that quilt.

My breath catching in my throat, I pulled myself out of my reverie and spread the quilt on the ground next to the one Lebreau was currently smoothing out. Once I was finished, I straightened and turned toward my sister, watching as she rubbed sun block over Aven's face and arms.

"Well, now what?" I asked, crossing my arms as I looked around, noticing that the amount of people gathering in the park had nearly doubled.

_Wonderful,_ I thought, a grimace crawling onto my face.

Serah glanced up at me and giggled when she saw my expression, tucking a few errant strands of hair behind her ear that the breeze had pulled free. "Don't look so excited, Claire," she laughed. "I was gonna take Aven to go look around. You're welcome to join me."

"Oh, come on, _Claire_!" Maqui sang as he skipped past me. "You know you wanna stay here with us! We'll have so much fun!"

Yuj started to laugh, but as soon as he caught sight of the steely-eyed glare I was directing at both him and Maqui, his chuckles died in his throat and he clamped his mouth shut. I knew if I didn't take my sister up on her offer, I would end up strangling both of them.

"Yeah, let's go," I unintentionally snapped as I began to walk away, keeping an eye on the two NORA members a few seconds longer before turning my head away from them.

Serah and Aven's footsteps quickly followed behind me and I slowed down my stride, propping my hands on my hips as I waited for them.

"Sorry, that was my fault. I shouldn't have used your real name in front of those guys," Serah said when she stopped beside me.

"Don't apologize for their childishness," I retorted, my voice still sharp. "They just need to mind their own business." I paused to take a deep, calming breath, a number of colorful adjectives on the tip of my tongue, but censored myself for Aven's sake, then looked over at my sister. "Anyways, where to first?"

She grinned and linked one of her arms with mine, tightly hanging onto Aven's hand with the other. "We're just walking, remember?" she said, slowly leading me through the park.

As we traced a serpentine path through the crowds, I quickly began to notice that more and more of them were staring at me as I walked past. I bunched my shoulders up next to my ears and ducked my head, suddenly wishing I had a Deceptisol. Of course, I would have needed about twenty of them to sneak through a congregation of this magnitude, but that was beside the point. As long as they kept their thoughts to themselves I'd be in the clear.

"Hey, everyone, it's Lightning!" a member of the crowd shouted.

_Ah, hell._

After that first vocalization, dozens of the people surrounding us began whispering and smiling, all of their eyes trained on me. I groaned under my breath, knowing it had been wishful thinking on my part to hope that my awakening had been forgotten about so soon. When the crowd suddenly erupted in a cacophony of clapping and cheering, I would have hidden behind my sister if we weren't surrounded on all sides.

So, instead, I just stood there with my hands on my hips and a sour look on my face, Serah's calming touch on my wrist the only thing keeping me from shrieking at them to stop.

_I'm not a hero, for Maker's sake!_ my mind screamed. _Why are you people acting like I'm some kind of saint?_

The clamor suddenly began dying down, and I felt a relieved sigh coming on when I noticed that everyone their attention to a pair of approaching figures. When I spied the familiar head of silver hair bobbing up and down amidst the crowd I allowed a sigh to escape my lips. It was a safe bet that Hope's father's standing as Mayor was the only thing that could briefly overshadow me, and I was grateful for that. I neither needed nor wanted the attention.

I spun around as soon as Hope walked past me, flashing me a half-smile, and fell in step beside him. "Impeccable timing, Estheim," I said, happily speeding up my stride just to get away from the crowd.

"No thanks needed, Light," he replied, smiling over at me. "When we heard everyone start cheering, we had a pretty good idea who was in the middle of it all."

I rolled my eyes. "That's what I get for agreeing to take a walk with Serah," I said, glancing over my shoulder at where she and Aven had hung back with Bartholomew. "Speaking of which, is your dad gonna be okay with them tagging along?"

"Yeah, they'll be fine," he answered, following my line of sight.

When we got back to our picnic site, Maqui waved at Hope and dashed toward us. Yuj followed him over a minute later. I growled under my breath, but otherwise kept my outward reaction to a minimum.

Aggravatingly enough, Maqui decided to immediately point out the obvious. "So, what happened to Serah?"

Hope glanced over at me and I flourished my hand, letting him know to go ahead and do the talking. "She's back with my dad. She and Light got ambushed by a group of adoring fans."

Maqui's eyes suddenly widened, a devilish grin curling the edges of his mouth up like a handlebar mustache. "Aw, Hope to the rescue, huh?" he asked, grinning over at me and bouncing his eyebrows suggestively. "Bless your little cotton socks! You're such a gentleman!"

I glared at him, one of my hands tightening into a fist, and became even more affronted when Hope started laughing along with him and Yuj. I knew the little blond shithead was only trying to get a rise out of me, and he was succeeding.

"No offense, Maqui, but you should start taking notes," Hope replied, still laughing under his breath. "I think I know why you've never kept a girlfriend longer than a month or two. You're kind of a dick."

The laughter in the air around us abruptly disappeared and I looked over at Hope, my mouth hanging open in shock. Had that just happened? No sooner had I glanced back in Maqui's direction to gauge his reaction did Yuj begin cackling loudly at the stunned expression on the blond's face, gripping his stomach with both arms as his belly laughs made his entire frame shake.

Maqui looked over at his blue-haired friend, scowling at him. "Hey, come on! It wasn't that funny!" he exclaimed, punching Yuj in the shoulder.

Yuj straightened, calming down just long enough to speak. "No, you're right," he replied, bracing his hands on his hips to catch his breath. "It was hilarious! Nice one, Hope!" He doubled over once more, laughter pouring out of his mouth like a waterfall.

I tried hiding my own snickers, but once Maqui turned his attention back to Hope and me, his scowl deepened. "Yeah, laugh it up, Chuckles," he muttered, stalking off toward Snow, Gadot and Lebreau.

Something suddenly collided into my left leg and I looked down with a frown, seeing Aven grinning up at me with her arms locked around my thigh. "Hi, Auntie Cwaire!" she exclaimed, giggling.

I smiled and ruffled her hair. "Hey, you. Where's your mom?"

She turned, pointing behind her, and I spotted both Serah and Bartholomew making their way over. I smiled at my sister as they arrived, and Serah playfully grinned back at me as she nudged me with her shoulder. "Why didn't you stay with us, Sis?" she asked, winking up at me. "There were some people back there dying to talk with you."

"That's exactly why I chose not to stay," I responded, gently flicking the tip of her nose and looking in Bartholomew's direction, extending my hand toward him. "Mr. Mayor."

Bartholomew chuckled and shook my hand. "Please, Lightning – there's no need for formalities. If you call me Mayor, I'll start calling you Lieutenant," he said, adjusting his glasses slightly. "Speaking of which, I've heard you're starting your officer training tomorrow."

"Touche," I replied, smirking, then nodded at his last statement. "You've heard correctly. I'm looking forward to it."

"That's wonderful to hear," he replied, smiling broadly. "Are you in need of accommodations? Hope and I would be more than happy to host you for the night."

I couldn't stop my eyes from widening at his offer. I had brought a bag with me in preparation for having to spend the night, but I had yet to speak with Colonel Amodar. "I'm grateful for the offer, but I couldn't possibly impose like that."

Bartholomew frowned, his dark brows scrunching together. "Nonsense," he responded. "I've already spoken with your superior, Colonel Amodar, and he informed me that you spending the night here in Paddra would be best. We've already prepared a room for you and aren't taking no for an answer."

I whipped my head around to look at Hope, completely confounded, and my thoughts scrambled even more when I saw him smiling warmly at me, his green eyes practically glowing. I had certainly not expected this. I had planned to stay in the barracks on base or in a hotel, but staying with Hope and his father had never entered my mind.

After feeling my sister prod me in the side with her elbow, I realized I had yet to answer. "Um, thank you," I stammered, once again meeting Bartholomew's gaze. "I'd be happy to stay with you."

Bartholomew smiled triumphantly. "Spectacular. Once the celebration is over, we can all leave together."

I nodded, still having a difficult time forming coherent sentences, and opted to remain silent. Bartholomew left, saying he had to make his rounds to other areas of the park, and told us he would be back later. I looked at my sister, wondering what she thought about all of this, and found almost the same smile on Serah's face as I had seen on Hope's. The corner of my left eye twitched slightly, getting the feeling I was being kept out of the loop, and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why.

Hope tapping me on the shoulder succeeded in bringing me out of my stupor.

"Hey. I'm gonna go check on Dajh's cast," he explained simply.

His green eyes locked onto mine, one of his eyebrows arched expectantly, and I could tell he wanted me to come with him. I bobbed my head like a hypnotized python and cleared my throat.

"Right behind you."

He grinned and I followed him over to where Sazh and Dajh were throwing a ball back and forth.

"Hey, Sazh!" Hope called.

The aging pilot paused before throwing the ball back to his son and turned, his face crinkling with a smile as he saw us approaching. "Hey, you two!" he called back, waving at us. "What's goin' on?"

Sazh's gaze briefly flicked down to the shorts I was wearing when we stopped in front of him, and I caught the puzzled expression that drifted across his face. Of all people, he certainly knew I wouldn't be seen in public in such an ensemble of my own will. He lifted his eyes back up to me, one of his eyebrows quirked, and I shook my head, shooting him a look that told him not to ask.

"I just wanted to check on Dajh's cast," Hope answered, not noticing our exchange.

"Oh, sure." He glanced over his shoulder and got his son's attention. "Dajh, come over here!"

The teen jogged toward us with a broad smile. "Hey Hope. Hey Lightning. What's up?" he asked, looking toward his father briefly.

"Hope wants to check your cast," Sazh repeated.

"Okay," Dajh replied, holding out his left arm for Hope to investigate. "How much longer 'til I can get rid of it? I kind of miss catching with a glove and taking a shower without a bag on my arm."

Hope smiled as he gently turned the teen's arm over, inspecting the fiberglass cast. "Not for a while, bud," he said, letting go of Dajh's arm and looking up at Sazh. "In a couple of weeks take him to the doctor he normally sees for another check up."

Sazh nodded, smiling. "Sounds good to me. Thanks."

As the morning slowly turned into the afternoon, the gathering of people in the park multiplied, and it became increasingly difficult to continue flying under the radar. As word spread like wildfire through the crowd that I was present, more and more people began congregating near our group, trying to catch a glimpse of me, and I was practically forced to hide behind whatever I could find to avoid being gawked at.

I was sitting behind a large oak about twenty feet into the tree line, chewing on a sandwich and wishing I would have stayed in Oerba, when I heard someone approaching. My head fell back against the rough bark of the tree, a heavy sigh erupting from my lungs at the thought of having to fend off another curious looky-loo. So, with a sharp retort ready, I whipped my head around the tree, but the words that I had prepared to spit out died in my throat when I saw Hope coming toward me. I huffed in relief, honestly glad to see him.

"So this is your hideout," he said, smiling down at me. "Serah told me I might find you back here."

I grunted as I stood, still holding my half eaten sandwich with one hand while I looked around him to make sure he hadn't been followed by anyone. "I knew this was a bad idea from the start," I replied, a deep frown marring my brow.

Hope nodded, a look of contemplation sliding onto his face. He was silent for a few moments as I took another bite of my sandwich and chewed it before he asked tentatively, "Can I suggest something?"

I looked up at him with one eyebrow quirked and he chuckled, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"How about we go to my house early? You know, to get away from all the excitement," he offered, his expression hopeful.

Both my eyebrows jumped up in response and I had to bite back a hasty reply. "That sounds perfect, actually," I answered after some thought. "Would your father mind?"

He shook his head. "No, I already asked. He's okay with it." He paused to scratch his jaw line, and for some strange reason, my gaze locked onto his hand, breaking off only after he continued speaking. "He could tell you haven't been enjoying yourself. It's…kind of hard to miss."

I snorted. "Yeah, I'm not exactly being subtle about it," I said, pushing the last bit of sandwich into my mouth and meeting his eyes as I chewed and swallowed. "Let's go, then."

His face lit up and he turned around, glancing over his shoulder with a smile as he began to stroll away. "Alright, follow me."

I rubbed my hands on my denim shorts and fell in step behind him, elated to be getting out of there. As much as I enjoyed making my sister happy, there were a few things I just couldn't put up with.


	7. Chapter 6: Eye of the Beholder

**Author's Note:**

Sweet mercy, I am so, so sorry for the extended delay! Things have been busy for both beta and I, but I'm glad to finally be updating again! Thank you to everyone that reviewed last chapter. I'm so humbled by the attention this story has received. I can't thank all of you amazing readers enough! Fair warning, the next chapter is coming along rather slowly, so there might be another delay. Please don't hurt me! *runs and hides*

Also, a shoutout to **Myrrdinfalcon** for correctly identifying my Star Trek Easter Egg! *round of applause* Lord, I'm such a nerd. XD I inserted another one into this chapter that might be a little more difficult to spot.

On a side note, I made a writer page on FaceBook. The link is located on my profile if any of you are interested in checking it out. I'll be posting fic updates and random tidbits on it.

Alright, I won't keep you guys waiting any longer! Just a quick, very big, well deserved thank you to my beta, **H-thar**. Without her I'd be hopelessly lost. Also, a wave of congratulations to her for the arrival of her gorgeous little girl! Pink cigars for everyone!

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Chapter 6

Eye of the Beholder

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"Aren't you glad you took my dad up on his offer?" Hope asked, glancing over his shoulder at me as he unlocked the front door of his father's house.

I smirked, rolling my eyes as I followed him inside, and breathed in deeply. "Not really. I was so looking forward to staying in a cheap hotel."

"Well, we're glad to disappoint you then," he replied with a smile, tossing his keys into a dish on a side table in the foyer. "Come on, I'll show you to your room."

I followed him up the stairs, inwardly eager to see the rest of the house. I had seen a grand total of three rooms when we visited a week ago, and, at the time, I had been so overwhelmed that the prospect of exploring hadn't even entered my mind. I placed my hand on the ornate mahogany banister as I ascended the stairs behind him, glancing sideways at the pictures hanging on the walls. I had to fight off the impulse to stop and get a closer look at them.

When we reached the second floor landing, I noticed a sitting area to the left and a hallway stretching off to the right. A loveseat, easy chair and small coffee table were stationed beside a large bay window with a painting of the Yaschas Massif hung on the wall and I started to wonder if Bartholomew had hired an interior decorator. No widower could decorate like this without outside help.

I followed Hope down a short section of hallway that had one door on either side before he made a left turn to an even longer section. More pictures and paintings were positioned along both sides of the hallway, and I was so preoccupied with admiring the decor that I barely saved myself from crashing headlong into Hope's back when he stopped abruptly. I froze in place, my body mere centimeters from coming in contact with his, and sucked in a sharp breath, my heart rate suddenly speeding up as the scent of his cologne permeated through the air around me. I took a quick step back, my eyes wide as I willed my heart to slow down and the foreign fluttering in my stomach to stop, and thanked Etro profusely that Hope hadn't noticed anything.

"Here we are," he said, opening the door for me and gesturing dramatically towards the room as he stepped aside, an overly excited smile screwed onto his face. By the time he set his gaze on me I had regained my bearings, my expression once again stoic. "I hope you like it."

I walked past him, shaking my head, and stopped just inside the doorway before slowly scanning the room, wondering if I had suddenly been transported into a palace. The bed alone looked big enough for three people to fit in comfortably and the dark wood flooring was so immaculate that I almost didn't want to walk on it for fear of scuffing it.

I glanced over my shoulder at Hope, one of my eyebrows arched. "Are you sure you don't have anything nicer?" I asked, walking toward the bed and tossing my bag onto it. "I don't think I'll be able to stay in such horrible conditions."

Hope laughed and followed me inside, casually sliding his hands into his pockets. "I'd give you my room, but it's a mess."

I chuckled, the skin on the back of my neck prickling involuntarily at the mention of his room, and folded my arms over my stomach, strolling around for a moment before stopping in front of a sliding glass door that led out onto a small balcony. The view was quite spectacular, to say the least.

I unlocked the door, slid it open and stepped out, going over to lean against the railing as I sighed in relief that I didn't have to worry about fending off any more curious onlookers or adoring fans. As my eyes scanned over the backyard, I spotted a swimming pool below with a diving board and an impressive looking slide on opposite sides of the deepest end.

"Wow, Hope," I began, turning around and propping my elbows up on the metal railing. "I think your dad deserves the title of Richest Man on Pulse."

He shrugged as he came to join me. "Thanks, I think," he said, crossing his arms over his chest when he stopped beside me. "Dad didn't know what to do with all the extra money once he became Mayor, so after getting a few things that we didn't have when I was younger, he started doing a bunch of charity work." He paused for a moment and drummed his fingers on his forearm. "So, um…want something to drink?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.

I pursed my lips as I thought. "How about a beer."

He grinned and nodded. "Coming right up."

After he left the room, I made my way back inside and took my shoes off, neatly positioning them under my bed, before rummaging through my bag. I pulled out the uniform I would be wearing in the morning and draped it across a chair then extricated the shirt and sweat pants I brought to sleep in, placing them on the bed for later.

I heard Hope's footsteps coming back down the hall and returned to the balcony, pulling a chair close to the railing. I dropped onto the soft cushion and propped my feet up, a contented sigh escaping through my parted lips. I leaned my head back and breathed in deeply, sincerely glad to be away from all the unwanted attention I had voluntarily subjected myself to. I made a mental note to not allow my sister to drag me back to another Anniversary of the Fall celebration for the rest of my life. Part of one was more than enough for me.

"Here ya go," Hope said, pulling a chair up beside me and handing the cold, dark glass bottle to me before sitting down.

I gladly took it from him and immediately took a large swig, smacking my lips against the robust flavor. "Hmm, not bad," I said, looking at the label briefly before taking another drink.

A few moments of calm silence passed between us as I stared at the horizon, the pool, and even my feet while I thought of something to ask him. I wasn't exactly well versed in the strange language of small talk so a sense of relief washed over me when Hope took a breath to speak. "What time do you have to report tomorrow?"

"Not until thirteen hundred," I answered, staring off into the distance for a couple of seconds and gently rotating the beer bottle in my hand in slow circles. I glanced over at him as a thought occurred to me. "I'll be going on a run in the morning. Care to join me?"

His head snapped up, and he stammered briefly as he attempted to get his thoughts in order. "Well, uh… S-sure!" he blurted, chuckling nervously. "Yeah, that would be great. What time were you thinking of going?"

"Five-thirty," I responded, smiling inwardly. "Is that alright with you?"

Hope's green eyes widened to the point that I thought they would pop out of his skull before he managed to collect himself, running a hand over his face to help rub out the tension. "Of course! No problem!"

I grinned, amused by his flustered state. "Think you can do five miles?"

I had to bite down on my tongue to keep a straight face. All the color seeped out of his cheeks and, for a moment, I thought he was going to be sick. When he finally answered me, the waver in his voice was obvious. "Um, well…yeah," he stammered, nodding his head in mock confidence. "I might need to stop once or twice, but sure."

I chuckled under my breath as I finished the rest of my beer. "Don't worry, I'm a good motivator."

"Yeah, I learned that one the hard way."

I couldn't stop the laugh that pushed past my lips then, and it honestly felt amazing.

After my laughter was carried away by the wind we sat in companionable silence for a few minutes. I stared off aimlessly, my gaze following a small flock of birds as they lifted into the sky, and my eyes unconsciously flicked in his direction when Hope took a breath to speak. "Uh, Light?" he asked, his voice hesitant. "Can I ask you something?"

I met his eyes and nodded once, silently prompting him to continue.

His gaze briefly flicked down to the beer bottle in his hand, then he cleared his throat in preparation. "I have no idea how any of this military stuff works, and I know it's probably a little too early to ask this, but do you know if you'll be going back to Oerba once you're an officer?"

"That all depends on where I'm needed," I replied, sitting up straight in my chair and crossing my legs.

He nodded and chewed thoughtfully on his bottom lip. I could tell he was trying to decipher my rather vague response on his own, but his lack of knowledge about the military and how they operated was stumping him. If I was being completely honest, I didn't always understand what went on within my own career field.

I chuckled softly as he continued to think, and I tapped my empty beer bottle on the arm of my chair to snag his attention so I could explain. "I could request to be stationed in Oerba, but a position for a First Lieutenant needs to be open within my job field for that to happen. If there isn't, I'll be stationed in Paddra."

He bobbed his head in understanding, then braced his forearm against the arm of his chair and leaned toward me, an amused grin decorating his face. "You know, Serah's gonna be a little miffed if you get stationed out here so soon after getting you back."

I snorted and shook my head, but I knew in the back of my mind that statement was absolutely true. "Being separated by distance is nothing compared to crystalstasis. I intend on visiting as often as possible, but I'll need to find out about any restrictions first."

The smile on Hope's face that looked almost relieved was quickly replaced by another confused frown. "What kind of restrictions?"

"Usually during the course of training to either become an officer or join special forces, boundaries are drawn to keep the candidates on track," I explained, my eyes never leaving his face. "That could range from limiting their access to certain areas around the base or completely restricting them from leaving the base all together. The restrictions don't last forever, though; they're lifted once a certain point in training is reached."

He was silent as he assimilated that information, nodding slowly, and my mind compared him to a hypnotized python again. I had to force myself not to snort when the unwelcome mental image of a snake with a mop of unruly silver hair and green eyes flashed through my mind.

"Okay, I think I follow you. And you're still in the, uh…security regiment, right?"

One corner of my mouth quirked and I nodded. "Of course. I've never considered cross training before. I like my job."

His eyes crinkled around the corners, suddenly looking thoughtful. "You know, I've always wanted to ask you… What drew you to that particular job in the Guardian Corps? You could have chosen anything, right?"

I involuntarily pressed my lips together at what he thought was an innocent question. This was another piece of information that only Serah and Snow were privy to, but nothing that was a highly safeguarded secret. This was honestly the first time anyone had asked me why I had made that specific career choice.

I met his expectant gaze and nodded again. "Yes, I could have. I chose security forces because my father was a civilian law enforcement officer."

Realization dawned on his face and he stammered for a moment before regaining his bearings to shoot me a charming smile. "Well, I know he'd be proud of you," he said, reaching over and cupping my shoulder, squeezing it softly.

Half my mouth curled upward at his comment, and I absently flexed my hand as I tried not to think about how my skin was tingling from his touch. I breathed in deeply and looked away, staring at the trees on the edge of the property as I centered my thoughts. Serah was the only one who had ever said something like that to me; she knew better than anyone what following in our father's footsteps meant to me.

"Thank you. I'd like to think so," I quietly replied.

Hope's fingers slid off my shoulder and my head involuntarily turned in his direction, my eyes following the path his hand took on its way back to his arm rest. My gaze snapped up to meet his as soon as I heard him take a breath to speak and shifted uncomfortably in my seat, this aggravating pattern of catching myself staring at him beginning to wear on me.

"So, I know this is an extremely off the wall question," he began, suddenly breaking the silence again, "but what's your favorite color?"

My eyebrows pinched together in confusion and I sat there, perplexed, staring at him for the few seconds that followed and wondering if he had honestly asked me that question. How had he gone from asking about my career choice to what color I liked the most?

"My favorite…color?" I repeated, as though he had suddenly begun speaking Ancient Pulsian.

He chuckled and nodded, and I was thrown off guard by the seriousness I detected behind the amusement in his expression. The problem solving part of my mind immediately conjured up two possible explanations: either he had become a very convincing liar or I was losing my touch in detecting deception. I didn't even want to entertain the thought that he was being completely forward.

"I've gotta start _somewhere_, don't I?" he inquired, like the reasoning behind his asking should have been obvious. "Just think about it; we hardly know anything about each other as people. I know we didn't have the luxury of casual conversation when we were running for our lives trying to escape the Sanctum, but now that everything has more or less settled down, better late than never, right?"

I pursed my lips as I considered his explanation, and I couldn't deny the truth in what he'd said. We both knew things about the other that we might have never found out about otherwise, had we met under different circumstances, but we'd leapt over masses of mundane information to get there. I tapped my empty beer bottle against the arm of my chair for a moment, suddenly leery about answering anymore personal questions, even though this one was harmless; much less harmless than his previous question had been. That voice in the back of my head reminded me that innocent questions eventually led to things that could potentially be uncomfortably personal, and that small detail in mind almost forced me to refuse to answer.

But a bigger part of me, a part I wasn't so sure I understood yet, actually wanted to allow someone besides my sister to see the real me, not just the soldier.

"Blue," I answered simply.

Surprise flashed briefly through Hope's eyes as though he had been expecting me not to answer, and he nodded. "Mine's orange."

"Orange?" I shot back, arching an eyebrow.

"Why do you think I never wanted to get rid of that jacket I wore? Besides the fact that my mom bought it for me."

"A valid point," I replied, chuckling. "I'll say this about your mom. She had an interesting fashion sense."

Hope laughed softly and looked down at his lap, a nostalgic smile tugging on the corners of his lips. "Yeah, she did."

Our conversation drifted off then, and a part of me wondered if my comment had been a little too bold. I wasn't known for being loose lipped and the last thing I wanted to do was inadvertently say something about his mother that might upset him. I had never met Nora, – I only knew the things I'd heard from Hope and Bartholomew, which wasn't much – but her son and husband had loved her dearly and probably missed her as much as I still missed my own parents.

I was in the process of thinking how to approach a potential apology when he looked back up and directed his gaze toward me. "So, how about a tour to pass the time?"

The abrupt shift in his demeanor left me scrambling for a few seconds before nodding. "I'd like that. Lead the way."

We eventually ended up in the kitchen about an hour later after an extended tour of the house. Hope had immediately gone to the fridge and began rooting around inside it for something we both could snack on while we waited for his father to return from the celebration. I was leaning up against the center island, perusing the evening paper and casually sipping on a soda when my phone suddenly began ringing in my back pocket.

Hope jumped, startled by the sudden, loud succession of notes, and ended up hitting the back of his head on one of the shelves. He muttered a string of curses as he carefully backed out of the fridge and closed the door, albeit not so gently, tenderly rubbing the sore spot on his head. He caught me staring at him with one eyebrow arched and he grinned sheepishly, sticking one of his thumbs in the air.

I smirked as I pulled my phone out, seeing my sister's name on the bright screen. "Hello?" I answered, straightening and crossing my free arm over my chest.

"Hey, Claire!" Serah announced cheerfully. "How are you?"

"Well enough," I replied, tracking Hope as he slithered into the pantry, taking note that his cheeks were colored a light pink. "What about you?"

"Things are winding down over here," she responded. I heard the easily recognizable baritone of Snow's voice in the background before Serah continued. "Would you and Hope like to meet all of us for dinner before we head back to Oerba?"

Hope's upper body appeared in the pantry's doorway, a half eaten cookie in his hand, and he quirked an eyebrow at me. I couldn't help but snort.

"Sounds great. Where?" I asked, kind of thankful for my sister's impromptu invitation if only to keep Hope from raiding his own pantry.

"It's called the Red Rock Grill," she answered. "Hope should know how to get there. Our reservation's an hour from now."

"Okay, see you soon." I ended the call and returned my phone to my back pocket.

"Serah?" Hope guessed, shoving the rest of the cookie into his mouth.

I nodded as I stepped away from the counter, softly padding by him. "She wants us to meet them at a place called The Red Rock Grill," I called as I left the kitchen, heading for the stairs.

Hope quickly caught up, ascending the stairs behind me. "Nice choice. Dad and I have gone there a couple times. You guys are gonna like it."

I nodded once as I reached the second floor landing and strode purposefully down the hall to my room, eager to see my sister before she left. "I'll take your word for it," I called back to him.

Twenty minutes later, I was seated in the passenger seat of Bartholomew's hover car as Hope maneuvered it through the still unfamiliar streets, playing chauffer. I leaned my head back against the rest and watched the buildings go by outside, the reminder that I would be calling this immense city home for the next three months ever present in my thoughts.

I pressed my lips together and expelled a slow breath out of my nose, propping my elbow on the edge of the door panel and rubbed my forehead. I would have to get used to yet another big adjustment, as if waking up after seven years and seeing all the changes in my family and environment weren't enough. I shifted in my seat, looking at Hope out of the corner of my eye before staring out the windshield and absently chewing on the inside of my cheek, a distinct pricking in the back of my mind another reminder telling me that he was the most notable change I would continue struggling to deal with.

* * *

I briefly glanced at Hope in my peripheral vision, the sound of his heavy breathing unusually loud in the quiet of the early morning, and inwardly smirked. He'd done surprisingly well so far keeping up with my pace. He only needed to slow down to catch his breath twice so far, and we only had two miles to go until we got back to his father's house.

I took in a long breath through my nose, enjoying the crisp chill in the air, and exhaled through my mouth, repeating the process over and over. I shifted my gaze to the horizon, squinting my eyes as they came to rest on the rim of the rising sun. The large glowing sphere was barely peeking over the top-most branches of the trees, casting bright rays of color across the sky. I smiled to myself as I continued to pump my legs one after the other, paying no mind to the dull burn in my muscles.

Thoughts of my meeting with Colonel Amodar later on reared up suddenly and I couldn't stop my mind from wandering to my impending officer training. In only three short months I would be going to an endless string of meetings with other higher ups and spending more time behind a desk than out in the field. I really wasn't looking forward to all the ass-kissing I would be subjected to in my training, but getting the chance to further my career in the military would surely be worth it.

I once again shifted my gaze over to Hope to see how he was doing and frowned when I saw the space beside me empty. I slowed and looked over my shoulder, spying him a few paces behind me.

He shot me an exhausted, lopsided grin and joined my side as I resumed my earlier pace. "I was…about ready to…say something," he labored, his cheeks red from the exertion. "You started pulling ahead."

I nodded. "Sorry, I don't usually go this slow."

He chuckled then, but it ended up sounding more like he was coughing. "This is slow?" he asked incredulously. "Thanks for goin' _easy_ on me."

"You're welcome," I replied with a grin. "I wouldn't want to give you a heart attack."

"Much appreciated."

I looked over at him and met his eyes, one corner of my mouth curling up in a smirk. "Anytime."

He smiled back and shook his head, breathing in deeply as he brought his gaze back to the path in front of us. We finished the last stretch of our run in silence.

Hope expelled an enormous sigh of relief when we came to a stop in the driveway and leaned over, bracing his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. I stopped next to him and lifted my wrist, stopping the timer on my watch, then laced my fingers behind my head and breathed in and out evenly to lower my heart rate.

"Just barely under an hour," I told him, looking down at the back of his head. "Not bad. Good job."

"Only an hour, huh?" he wheezed, straightening and propping his hands on his hips. "It feels like we've been running all day." He paused and appraised me skeptically, making me quirk an eyebrow at him. "And it looks like you aren't even tired."

I grinned and stretched my arms. "I'm used to it," I responded as we made our way inside. "But just imagine doing that every day at four in the morning, with a drill instructor running beside you screaming all kinds of obscenities, and you'll have an idea of what basic training was like."

"Geez," Hope said, his eyes wide. "I don't think I'd survive being in the military."

"Don't feel bad," I replied, shaking my head. "Not everyone is cut out for it."

Bartholomew stuck his head out of the kitchen as we opened the door and smiled at us in greeting when we walked in. "Welcome back! How did it go?"

"Well, I'm still alive," Hope answered, grabbing two bottles of water out of the fridge and handing one to me before quickly sucking down half of his. "I think I'm going to feel like warmed over death when I get home from work, though."

Bartholomew chuckled under his breath as he stirred creamer into his coffee. "Good to see you survived. What time do you have to be at work this morning?" he asked his son.

"By eight," Hope answered before chugging down the rest of his water and tossing the empty bottle into a garbage bin.

Bartholomew looked over at me then, the overhead light of the kitchen glinting off the lenses of his glasses. "Oh, the colonel called while you were out and asked me to give you a message. He said that even though he told you to report by one o'clock, you're welcome to come in earlier if you prefer."

I nodded, recalling that I had left my phone up in my room when I went out on the run with Hope. "I plan on going to the base once you and Hope leave for work," I replied, and inclined my head toward him. "Thank you for inviting me to stay overnight. It was a pleasure."

He smiled and shook his head. "You're welcome, Lightning. We've enjoyed the company."

Hope left the kitchen a few minutes later to get ready for his shift at the clinic while I chose to remain downstairs and have a cup of coffee with Bartholomew. Even though he was the one that did most of the talking, I noticed that carrying on a conversation with him was much easier than with Hope and I wasn't exactly sure how to feel about that. I clicked my tongue in contemplation as Bartholomew filled me in on what had happened at the Fall celebration after my departure, my thoughts scattering into a jumbled mess.

Once Hope returned downstairs dressed in teal colored scrubs, I promptly retreated to the shower myself, then dressed in the uniform I had laid out the night before. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror as I buckled everything into place, like I had done countless times over the years, I couldn't stop the plethora of pent up emotions that had been building for the past week from bothering me. Pinning down exactly what I felt just then was near impossible.

The only thing I did know was how grateful I was to be able to carry on with my life alongside my family and friends. No one would ever understand how much I appreciated that.

Hope met me in the hall as I was on my way downstairs with my bag in hand. "Hey, um, would you like me to give you a ride to the base?" he asked, sliding one his hands into a pocket while he ran the other through his still damp hair. "It's not very far out of the way."

I opened my mouth to tell him I was fine with catching a hover cab, - both he and his father had already done enough for me in the past twenty-four hours – but the words died in my throat before I got the chance to spit them out. The hopeful expression on his face struck me somehow and I couldn't bring myself to deny him.

"Well… Sure," I replied clumsily. "Thank you."

A broad smile stretched across his face and a strange sensation slithered up my back as I brushed past him, rolling my shoulders to dispel whatever was crawling beneath my skin. The sudden instinct to quicken my pace and put as much distance between Hope and me as possible would have – and could have – won out if I hadn't reached the stairs at that moment in time.

But that didn't stop me from descending them as quickly as I dared without making it look like I was running away, confounded by the strange influx of emotions that I wasn't accustomed to experiencing. The sensations were alien to me and, having no way to define them, I dismissed them as simply as I would déjà vu.

* * *

My shoulders stiffened involuntarily as I knocked on Colonel Amodar's office door, the sound echoing forlornly through the deserted hallway. Seconds later, a voice barked a hurried reply and I wasted no time in stepping inside. After seeing exactly who was on the other side of his door, though, the colonel's strained expression transformed into a pleased smile as he leaned back in his chair, promptly dropping his pen onto the documents in front of him.

I placed my bag on the floor in front of his desk and saluted. "Sergeant Farron, reporting for duty, sir."

"At ease," he said, waving his hand through the air like he was batting away a fly before extending it toward the chair I was standing beside. "Please, sit."

"Thank you, sir," I replied as I returned my arm to my side and sat down, mimicking his relaxed posture.

He folded his hands on the paper covered surface of his desk, propping his elbows on the edge. "I trust you had an enjoyable week?"

I nodded, a smirk curling up one corner of my mouth as I remembered everything that had transpired over the last seven days. 'Enjoyable' wasn't exactly how I would describe it, but it hadn't been a complete disaster either, so that had to count for something, right?

"As much as possible," I answered, crossing my right leg over my left.

"And how are you adjusting?" he inquired, his eyes crinkling slightly at the edges.

I took a breath and averted my eyes from the Colonel's, gazing at the wall behind him. "It's been a challenge," I replied, my right foot beginning to bounce restlessly. "I'm still a little confounded by how drastically things have changed. It…hasn't been easy." My thoughts immediately went to Hope, the image of his matured face settling into the forefront of my mind, and I cleared my throat, fighting for my focus.

Amodar pulled his hands up as he listened to me and folded them in front of his mouth, his eyes never leaving my face. He was quiet as my words faded away, the steady tick-tock of the clock hanging on his wall counting down the seconds. "So far you've handled everything better than I could have imagined," he said, his voice cutting right through the thick air between us. "Give yourself time." He paused suddenly, and I could see the edges of a wide smile hidden behind his hands. "You've only been awake for a little over a week, after all."

My mouth twitched. "Thank you, sir."

He nodded, then dropped his hands back down to his desk and took a deep, cleansing breath. "Well, let's get down to business, shall we?" He methodically sifted through the paper stack on his desk, pulling a few out and handing them to me. I plucked a pen out of the holder on the corner of his desk, knowing I would once again be signing my life away, but almost happy about it. "These are just your reenlistment documents. I put you down for six years."

I nodded as I applied my signature to the marked boxes, then handed them back.

He procured a few more sheets of paper, but paused before giving them to me. "Would you prefer to be housed somewhere besides the barracks?"

I immediately shook my head, extending my hand toward him for the documents. "No, the barracks will be fine." He gave them to me with a smile and I quickly signed them.

We spent the next half hour passing one important paper after the other back and forth between us. This was a portion of GC life that I hadn't missed in the least, and the fact that I would soon be having to deal with mountains of paperwork most of the time wasn't encouraging. I enjoyed being out in the field, so I wasn't exactly looking forward to being stuck behind a desk.

Amodar gathered all the papers I had signed into a neat pile and placed them inside a black folder. "Unfortunately, the rest of this week you're going to be in processing," he informed me, rising from his chair. I quickly followed suit, plucking my bag off the floor. "All the fun won't happen until next week."

I nodded in understanding as I replied casually, "It'll give me a chance to get settled." There were only a couple of days left in the work week, not including the weekend, so I was glad I wouldn't have to sit around and wait for long.

He walked around his desk, my file tucked underneath his arm. "How about I show you where you'll be staying?" he suggested, going over to the door and opening it. "The barracks aren't far from the finance building."

"That would be helpful, sir. Thank you," I said as I preceded him out of his office.

"No thanks needed, Farron," he replied, striding down the hall with his hands folded behind his back. "I wouldn't want you getting lost, now."

I grinned as I fell in step beside him. In the seven years that I had been asleep, Amodar was the one who had changed the least, but I hadn't expected anything less. It would take a lot more than climbing the ranks all the way up from Lieutenant to Colonel to change him.

"Sir?" I began, remembering a certain detail about our conversation last week as we were walking down the sidewalk. "Where do I go to pick up my new uniforms?"

"Ah, yes. Your uniforms are waiting for you in your room," he said, shooting me a knowing sideways glance. "I had a feeling you'd want to stay in the barracks, so I took the liberty of getting your room set up."

I breathed out sharply through my nose, the corners of my mouth twitching as I looked over at him. "I'm thanking you a great deal today, sir."

"Then don't feel obligated," he replied with a smile. "You've been out of the loop for seven years, so I knew you'd appreciate a small amount of assistance."

I nodded, understanding the hidden meaning he was placing in that statement. Being such a high ranking officer, he needed to be mindful of the favoritism he showed towards the other soldiers under his command. The courtesy that he was extending to me was only temporary, and I would treat it as such. Expecting special treatment from him on a regular basis was not only unprofessional, but a good way for me to get noticed for all the wrong reasons.

Amodar led me into the barracks building and ascended the stairs to the third floor. He paused on the landing and turned to me, extracting a key card from his pocket. "This is your key," he said, handing it to me. "Your room number is on the back. I trust you can find your way from here?"

"Yes, sir," I answered, glancing down at the card briefly. "What needs to be done tomorrow?"

"You should be getting a call in the morning," he told me, holding the black folder that contained the documents I had signed between both of his hands. "I should get these over to finance. Have a good day, Sergeant Farron."

"And you as well, sir," I responded as he began descending the stairs.

I watched his progression down the stairs until he disappeared from sight, then began slowly walking down the hallway, directing my attention to the plastic card in my hand. The numbers '3-23' were printed below a forward facing arrow, prompting me to glance up and look at the numbers on the doors as I passed. Room 23 was near the end of the hall, and I expelled a slow breath out my nose as I stopped in front of the door. I stared down at the handle for a moment before sliding the card into the slot on the door and stepping inside.

The interior of the room was plain; white stucco walls and cheap dark brown carpet decorated the living area. One bed, a dresser and a desk were the only pieces of furniture. After taking a few steps inside, I spied a small kitchenette with all the amenities and couldn't stop my eyebrows from jumping into my hair line. This room was much nicer than the one I had during tech school, and I irrationally wondered if I had been given the wrong room.

_That was over ten years ago,_ I thought as my gaze fell on a partially opened door on the far side of the kitchenette, my feet automatically carrying me towards it. _Oh, my very own bathroom? Shocking._

Upon closer inspection of a small closet, I found three brand new black and silver uniforms, complete with black capes, two stripe shoulder pauldrons and black leather leg pouches hanging neatly inside along with a pair of shiny black boots pushed up against the wall beneath them. I got a closer look at one of them, running a hand over the pristine black leather, then brought the fluorescent lights inside one of the pauldrons to life, recognizing the reddish orange of my Sergeant rank. I nodded in satisfaction and closed the door, not feeling like trying it on at the moment.

I let out a small sigh as I went to my bed and dropped my bag onto it, intending to get partly settled in before venturing out onto the base to get something to eat. I unzipped my bag and began taking out the clothes I had brought with me to put in the dresser, which wasn't much. I made a mental note to make a trip to Oerba soon to get more clothes.

After I emptied my bag, leaving its contents spread around on the surface of my bed, I had just begun to move it under my bed when I felt and heard the crinkling of paper in one of the side pockets. I frowned, distinctly remembering that I hadn't put anything in there, and unzipped it, pulling out a plain white envelope. I hummed in thought as I pulled out a folded piece of paper and a plastic card, immediately recognizing my sister's curvy script.

_Had a feeling you'd need this. There should be more than enough to tide you over until you start receiving your pay. I miss you already!_

I blinked away an uncharacteristic burning in my eyes at my sister's sentimental gesture as I looked at the shiny card in my hand. I wasn't used to being taken care of, especially by my younger sister. All the support I had been given since awakening was overwhelming and I couldn't help but wonder how I had gotten so lucky.

* * *

The rest of the week wasn't as lackluster as I thought it was going to be. In fact, it was the total opposite, but not in a good way. After receiving a phone call from a major that worked in the education center the morning after I arrived, I was busy going all over the base preparing for the first day of training. In conjunction with being in processing, it felt like I was moving at the speed of light with no hope of slowing down until I was driven to sleep or eat.

Every night before I would collapse into bed, though, I spent a few minutes speaking with my sister and, oddly enough, Hope. Our conversations were short and still slightly awkward, with a multitude of dead silences that I had no idea how to fill, but it was nice knowing that someone else besides Serah was interested in how I was faring.

Our conversation the night before my officer training officially started, however, left me feeling completely and utterly blindsided.

"So, I've got a question for you," Hope began after a few moments of uneasy silence.

"Shoot," I replied, getting the books together that I would need in the morning. Much to my extreme displeasure, the first month of training, charmingly coined Phase One, would be spent in classrooms listening to lectures and taking notes.

_It's like high school all over again,_ I thought, groaning inwardly.

"Would you like to, um… I-I mean, if you're allowed and all, you know – "

"Hope, spit it out," I interrupted, dropping heavily into my desk chair and draping my free arm over the back.

His breath whistled through my ear piece as he took a few seconds to collect himself. "Sorry," he apologized, chuckling nervously. "What I was trying to say is, do you want to drop by the clinic tomorrow for some breakfast before your training? My treat?"

The request was so unexpected that I had no idea how to answer him. I sat there staring at the floor in bewilderment, honestly glad that we were talking on the phone at that particular moment. Had we been face to face, retaining any of my dignity and trying not to look like a gaping fish would have been impossible.

The silence that passed between us as I tried to remember how to speak was agonizing. Now it was my turn to stammer and trip over my words like an idiot. "Um, sure. That, uh… Thank you," I answered awkwardly, suddenly picturing a cartoonish image of myself firing my gunblade into my own temple. "What, uh, what time? My first class is at…" I paused and took a deep breath, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. "Nine."

Hope chuckled on the other end of the line and I growled inwardly, dragging a hand roughly down my face. "I'll be getting to the clinic about seven forty-five, so you can make your way over anytime after that," he replied, a smile evident is his voice. "See you in the morning?"

I nodded and trapped a yawn behind my hand. "Yeah, I'll be there at eight. Good night, Hope."

"'Night," he mumbled before hanging up, and his words from our strange conversation rang in my ears long after the call had ended.

* * *

Thus, I was on my way to the clinic the next morning when eight o'clock reared its ugly head, the subject material for my first class tucked tightly underneath my right arm. Having to go all the way back to the barracks after meeting with Hope for breakfast when the education center wasn't far from the main gate was counterproductive, so lugging my books with me would save me precious minutes.

As the clinic came into view, I found myself slowing down to almost a standstill. I was honestly dreading walking through that door, mainly because I didn't have the slightest clue what to expect out of him. Going into things blind was not how I operated, and that reminder nearly made me turn tail and run in the opposite direction.

_At least he didn't tell you to meet him in a public setting,_ my mind whispered to me.

That thought alone made me pause in the middle of the sidewalk, and I stared down at the concrete with a focused gaze as a wave of relief went coursing through me. In the clinic, we'd be able to carry on a conversation without dozens of people who recognized me eavesdropping, or the likely presence of anyone from the tabloids. I expelled a short breath before closing the remaining distance to the clinic doors, speeding up my pace considerably.

All of the sudden, I couldn't wait to get out of the open.

Hope was standing by the door leading to the examination rooms when I entered, and the smile that had been on his face immediately disappeared, replaced with wide-eyed astonishment as he stared at my new uniform.

"What?" I asked, quickly glancing down at myself to make sure I had in fact dressed myself that morning. "Black isn't my color?"

He instantly shook his head, his hair flying about like an errant gust of wind had just blown through the clinic. "No! I mean it looks, well… Y-you look great." He bowed his head in embarrassment, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his scrubs pants as he attempted to salvage the situation. He took a deep breath after a few moments and met my eyes sheepishly. "Anyway, everything's back in the break room. Figured that eating out here wouldn't be the best idea."

I nodded and breathed in deeply through my nose before following him through the door, his words once again ringing in my ears. I began wondering exactly what I had gotten myself into, but that thought was short lived when I saw a paper bag and a drink carrier with two cups nestled inside sitting on top of a nondescript wooden table. Another small sigh of relief escaped through my parted lips, making my eyebrows twitch in confusion.

_What did you expect, Lightning?_ I asked myself, smoothing my gloved hands over my legs as I approached the table. _Some kind of romantic candle-lit breakfast with musical accompaniment?_ I snorted under my breath at the very thought of something so sappy.

"It's nothing special," he began, pulling a medium sized to-go box out of the bag and handing it to me. "But I hope you like it."

I accepted it, surprised by its weight, and flipped the lid open, genuinely curious about the contents. Inside was the biggest cinnamon roll I had ever seen, barely contained in the box, and covered with thick, white, gooey frosting. My jaw slackened slightly as its warm aroma wafted by my nose, making my mouth water in anticipation. A plastic fork suddenly appeared in my field of vision and I looked up, locking gazes with Hope.

"You'll need this," he told me with a grin.

I took the fork from his grasp with my left hand, keeping my outer reaction as stoic as possible as his fingers grazed over mine, and nudged one of the chairs away from the table with my foot. After sitting down and placing both the box and my books on the table, I switched the fork over to my right hand and flexed the fingers of my left, baffled by their inexplicable tingling, as Hope pulled his own fork and napkins out of the bag.

"I wasn't exactly sure how you liked your coffee, so I got you my usual," he explained, placing one of the cups in front of me.

I eyed him warily. "And what, pray tell, is your usual?"

He sat down across from me with that same lopsided grin screwed onto his mouth. "Black, double sweet."

"Oh, really?" I replied, one of my eyebrows arching skeptically. I glanced down at the cup before picking it up and taking a small sip, genuinely impressed by the taste. "It just so happens that I take my coffee this exact way." I watched him closely over the rim of my cup as I took another drink.

"Well, fancy that," he remarked, his shoulders quaking as he chuckled, watching me just as closely.

"My sister told you that," I stated matter-of-factly.

His mouth quivered at the corners as he crossed his arms over his chest. "And how do you know that? How do you know I didn't guess that all on my own?"

I leveled him with a knowing stare. "Your poker face is terrible, Estheim."

A throaty chuckle resonated through his chest as he scooted closer to the table, brandishing his fork at the cinnamon roll like a warrior ready to do battle. He dug the plastic utensil into the pastry, tearing a good-sized chunk off and shoving it into his mouth. As he chewed, an expression like he had just achieved heavenly enlightenment fell over his face, and he slumped into his chair.

I rolled my eyes and settled them back on the steam drifting out of my coffee cup, my mind a blur of confusion. _Why has he been taking his coffee like I do?_ I wondered, hesitantly looking back at him through narrowed eyes.

I eradicated those thoughts from my mind as I took a bite of my own cinnamon roll, humming in surprise as I chewed. The quality of it really was impressive. It definitely wasn't one of those cheap, frozen cinnamon rolls you pop into a microwave that comes out more hard and crispy than soft and warm. This was handmade dough and probably even handmade frosting. I swallowed and took a short sip of coffee to wash it down before immediately taking another bite, enjoying the confection more than I thought I would.

"Why do they make these so big?" I asked, dabbing the corner of my mouth with a napkin. "I would have been set with half."

Hope shook his head as he chewed. "I have no clue, but they're so delicious I don't really care," he replied, stuffing another huge piece into his mouth and grinning at me.

I snorted. "I can see that." I paused to take another bite. "But the size is just unrealistic. Eating the entire thing is liable to send you into cardiac arrest."

"I actually did finish it the first time I tried one," he said through a mouth full of cinnamon roll before quickly swallowing. "Gotta admit, wasn't my brightest idea. I felt sick for the rest of the day."

"It really is good, though. Thank you," I said, taking a drink of my coffee. "It's unfortunate that I won't have enough time to bring it back to my dorm before my first class."

"Oh, I can keep it here for you," Hope suggested. "You can come back to pick it up later."

I was silent as I considered his proposition. I knew I wouldn't be able to finish the thing before it was time for me to leave, so taking him up on his offer would allow me to save it for further enjoyment – something I could look forward to after a long, dull day in class. I nodded and scraped some of the frosting off the top of the cinnamon roll with my fork, then licked it clean.

"Sounds good. I'll leave it with you then," I said, following his gaze and suddenly becoming perplexed by his expression.

His eyes were glued to my right hand, staring longingly at it like he was day dreaming. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, the intensity of his stare causing me to drum the fingers of my left hand restlessly on the surface of the table as I racked my brain for a means of transition to escape.

I found one in the form of my cinnamon roll container.

I slapped the cover shut, making Hope jump and successfully pulling him out of his trance. I stood swiftly, the legs of my chair scraping harshly against the floor, and dusted imaginary crumbs off the front of my uniform. In a flash, I had collected my books and coffee and was moving toward the door before I knew what was happening, my thoughts scrambled.

"Thanks again," I called over my shoulder as I paused briefly in the doorway, refusing to look directly at him. "I'll see you later."

As I hurried out of the clinic, a little voice in the back of my mind tried to convince me otherwise.

_What the hell am I getting myself into?_


End file.
